LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

Class 

//. 


..O- 


MARSHAL  SEY. 

(From  an  Oil  raiiitiii^  at  Voisaillcs.) 


HISTORIC    DOUBTS 


AS  TO  THE  EXECUTION 
OF  MARSHAL  NEY, 
WITH  NUMEROUS  IL- 
LUSTRATIONS     *      *      * 


BY 


JAMES  A.  WESTON 

FvKCTOR  OF  THE  ChURCH  THE  AsCENSION,  HiCKORY,  N.  C.  ;    MaJOR   33RD  N.  C.  ReGIMKNT,  ^_Z-     — 

Confederate  States  Armv  ;  Chaplain  Catawba  Countv  (X.  C.)  Veteran's  ?) 

Association  ;  Honorary  Member  of  the  North  /' 

Carolina  Historical  Society,  etc.  / 


NEW  YORK 

THOMAS    WHITTAKER 
2  and  3  Bible  House 

1895 


p. 


Copyright,  189s,  by  Thomas  Whittaker. 


Uo  tbe  /iDeinor^  ot  m^  /iDotber, 

who  taught  me  to  be  true  to  God  and  man — 

XTo  tbe  /iDemor^  ot  2^ebulon  Sairt)  trance, 

War  Governor^  United  States  Senator^  the  bravest  of  the 

brave  in  all  that  was  best  in  Statesmanship, 

and  North  Carolina's  greatest  son, 

tbis  volume  is  attectionatelg  inscribed* 


22G490 


PREFACE. 


The  book  is  written.  The  difficulties  have  been  very  great 
— almost  insuperable.  The  fires  have  been  exceedingly  hot. 
But  the  mountain-top  is  reached.  Let  the  dead  past  bury  its 
dead.  I  began  this  investigation  more  than  twelve  years  ago. 
When  I  first  heard  the  report  that  Peter  S.  JSTey  was  probably 
Marshal  Ney  I  said  to  myself,  ''It  maybe  true,  /would 
not  have  shot  Stonewall  Jackson. "  I  began  to  make  inquiries 
of  those  who  had  been  intnnately  acquainted  with  Peter  S. 
Xey  and  whose  integrity  no  one  could  question,  I  found 
that  P.  S.  ISTey  possessed  a  strong,  clear,  vigorous,  well-bal- 
anced mind,  and  that  he  was  a  man  of  the  highest  character. 
From  that  moment  I  believed  he  was  Marshal  Ney,  and  now 
I  know  it.  I  am  deeply  grateful  to  the  many  friends  who 
have  so  nobly  aided  me  in  this  work  of  love.  I  wish  I  could 
take  each  one  of  them  by  the  hand  and  express  my  gratitude 
in  person.  I  can  never  forget  their  kindness.  May  Heaven's 
best  blessings  be  theirs.  I  am  under  very  especial  obligations 
to  the  following  gentlemen  :  The  Eev.  Dr.  Morgan  Dix, 
rector  of  Trinity  Parish,  'New  York  ;  the  Eev.  Dr.  Joseph  N. 
Blanchard,  rector  of  St.  James's  Parish,  Philadelphia  ;  the 
Eev.  Dr.  Arthur  C.  Kimber,  minister  in  charge  of  St.  Au- 
gustine's Chapel,  Trinity  Parish,  New  York  ;  the  Hon.  Seth 
Low,  LL.D.,  President  of  Columbia  College,  New  York  ; 
Joseph  P.  Caldwell,  editor  of  the  Observer,  Charlotte,  JST.  C.  ; 
Captain  Samuel  A.  Ashe,  Ealeigh,  JST.  C.  ;  the  Eev.  Dr.  Will- 
iam A,  Wood,  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Statesville, 
N.  C.  ;  T.  B.  Kingsbury,  editor  of  the  Messenger,  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C.  ;  Hon.  James  F.  Izlar,  Orangeburg,  S.  C.  ;  Eob- 
ert  Macfarlan,  Florence,  S.  C.  ;  and  Eeuben  G.  Thwaites, 
Secretary  of  the  Wisconsin  Historical  Society,  Madison,  Wis. 


VI  PREFACE. 

Without  the  generous  aid  of  these  gentlemen,  extended  in  so 
many  ways,  this  work  could  not  have  reached  its  present  state 
of  completeness.  A  few  words  as  to  the  dedication.  In  De- 
cember, 1889,  Senator  Yance  wrote  to  me  :  "  You  honor  me 
too  highly.  I  hope  you  will  tone  down  the  dedication  so  far 
as  1  am  personally  concerned."  I  have  studied  Senator 
Vance's  record  with  the  utmost  care.  The  dedication  must 
stand. 

James  A.  Weston. 
Hickory,  N.  C,  March  18,  1895. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAOX 

I.  Marshal  Net  :  Chapter  1 1 

Chapter  II 25 

Chapter  III 53 

II.  Was  Marshal  Net  Executed  ?    Chapter  1 97 

Chapter  II. :  Testimony,.  .  135 

III.  Documentary  Evidence  as  to  Ney's  Identity 227 

IV.  Specimens  op  Poetry  by  P.  S.  Ney 257 

V.  Summary 279 

Appendix  A 299 

Appendix  B 303 

Appendix  C 305 

Index 307 


LIST    OF    ILLTJSTEATIOKS, 


No.  PAGE 

1.  Marshal  ISTey Frontispiece 

(From  au  oil  painting  at  Versailles.) 

2.  Napoleon facing    25 

3.  Marshal  Ney facing    38 

(From  an  engraving  by  H.  R.  Cook,  1817.) 

4.  Madame  La  Marechale  Ney , facing    50 

5.  Marshal  Ney facing    63 

(From  Meyer's  Collection  of  Portraits  of  the  C4rand  Officers  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.) 

6.  Ney  Statue  at  Metz .facing    74 

7.  Marshal  Ney facing    86 

(From  an  old  pen-and-ink  t^kctch.) 

8.  The  Execution  op  Mahsual  Ney facing    97 

(From  an  old  woodcut.) 

9.  Sketch  op  the  Death  of  Marshal  Ney facing  115 

(By  Gerfime.) 

10.  The  Earl  op  Elgin facing  135 

(Whose  portrait  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  P.  S.  Ney.) 

11.  No.  1. — Facsimile  Signature  op  P.  S.  Ney 156 

12.  No.  2. — Facsimile  Signature  op  Marshal  Ney 157 

13.  No.  3. — E.xamples  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Handwriting 176 

14.  No,  4. — Examples  op  Marshal  Ney's  Handwriting 177 

15.  No.  5.— Examples  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Handwriting 196 

IG.  No.  6. — Examples  op  Marshal  Ney's  Handwriting 197 

17.  No.  7.— Examples  op  P.  S.  Net's  Handwriting 206 

18.  No.  8.— Examples  op  Marshal  Ney's  Handwriting 207 

19.  Cast  op  Skull  and  Lower  Maxillary  op  P.  S.  'Ney. ..facing  227 

20.  Facsimile  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Notes .facing  235 

21.  Facsimile  op  P,  S.  Net's  Notes facing  240 

22.  Facsimile  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Notes facing  246 

23.  Facsimile  of  P.  S.  Ney's  Notes facing  253 

24.  Facsimile  of  P,  S.  Ney's  Notes facing  257 

25.  Specimens  of  P.  S.  Ney's  Signatures facing  279 


PART  I. 
LIFE  OF  MARSHAL  NET. 


CHAPTER   I. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  write  a  complete  biography  of  Mar- 
shal Ney.  I  have  abundant  material  for  such  a  work,  much 
of  which  is  new,  and  it  may  be  used  at  some  future  time  ;  but 
for  the  present  I  design  simply  to  give,  as  an  introduction  to 
my  book,  a  brief  sketch  or  outline  of  the  life  and  character  of 
this  illustrious  soldier,  the  greatest,  in  some  important  re- 
spects, that  the  world  has  ever  produced. 

There  were  but  two  of  Napoleon's  marshals  that  would  bear 
any  sort  of  comparison  with  him — Massena  and  Soult.  Mas- 
sen  a  has  generally  been  regarded  by  military  critics  as  the 
ablest  of  Napoleon's  lieutenants.  Bonaparte  had  a  very  high 
opinion  of  him,  and  Wellington  "  thought  him  the  best  French 
officer  that  he  had  met."  But  Massena  committed  blunders 
in  the  Peninsular  campaign  that  Ney  never  would  have  com- 
mitted ;  and  in  the  famous  retreat  from  Portugal,  Ney,  by  his 
consummate  skill  and  valor,  saved  Massena's  army  from  total 
annihilation.  Napoleon  said  that  "  Soult  was  the  only  real 
hoiriTne  de  guerre  among  his  marshals  ;"  and  Napier,  in  his 
"  History  of  the  Peninsular  War,"  thinks  Soult  was  little  in- 
ferior to  the  god  of  war  himself — Napoleon  being  his  god. 

Soult  was  unquestionably  an  officer  of  very  great  merit. 
He  had  a  sound,  well-balanced  mind,  was  a  brilliant  tactician, 
strong  and  vigorous  in  assault  and  calm  and  self-reliant  in  the 
hour  of  danger  ;  but  he  was  exceedingly  cautious  and  timid. 
His  intellect  was  slow  in  all  its  operations.  "  Like  the  lion, 
he  measured  his  leap  before  he  took  it,  and  if  he  fell  short  he 
measured  it  over  again,"  and  took  a  long  time  to  measure  it. 


2  MARSHAL  NET. 

He  Lad  no  improvisations  of  genius,  and  on  more  than  one 
occasion  he  deliberately  allowed  fine  opportunities  for  attack- 
ing or  crippling  Wellington  to  pass  away  unimproved. 

Wellington  soon  found  him  out.  and  played  with  him  as  he 
would  have  played  wdth  a  child.  On  one  occasion  Welling- 
ton, with  a  small  body  of  troops,  found  himself  in  presence  of 
Soult  with  a  much  larger  force.  He  rode  slowly  along  the 
lines,  and  his  troops  cheered  him  in  the  most  enthusiastic  man- 
ner. Wellington  stopped  and  said  to  one  of  his  aids  :  "  Yon- 
der," pointing  toward  Soult,  "  is  a  great  commander,  but  he 
is  a  cautious  one,  and  will  delay  his  attack  until  he  can  inves- 
tigate the  cause  of  these  cheers  ;  that  will  give  time  for  the 
Sixth  Division  to  arrive,  and  1  shall  beat  him."  And  so  he 
did.  Soult's  defeat  at  Oporto  is  an  everlasting  stain  upon  his 
military  fame.* 

Ney  had  faults  as  a  soldier — I  am  by  no  means  blind  to 
them — but  they  were  neither  so  many  nor  so  grave  as  the 
faults  of  Massena  and  of  Soult.  In  other  respects  these  two 
men  will  hardly  bear  to  be  named  in  connection  with  Marshal 
Ney. 

The  six  great  captains  of  history — I  name  them  in  order — 
Wellington, f  Caesar,  Hannibal,  Napoleon,  Alexander  the 
Great,  Frederick  the  Great — these  world-renowned  warriors, 
it  must  be  granted,  possessed  greater  genius  than  Marshal  Ney 
for  the  "  higher  parts  of  war,"  as  the  phrase  goes — organiza- 
tion, supreme  command,  the  direction  and  control  of  a  large 
system  of  operations,  etc. — but  not  one  of  them  could  conduct 
a  vanguard  or  a  rear-guard  with  such  ability  and  such  success 
as  Marshal  Ney  ;  not  one  had  so  quick,  so  true,  so  accurate  a 
cotcjt)  fV ml  on  the  field  of  battle  ;  not  one  could  handle  troops 
so  readily,  so  skilfully,  so  effectively  in  actual  combat  ;  not 
one  could  create  resources  as  Ney  created  them  in  the  Russian 
retreat  ;  not  one  had  that  moral  power  over  men  which  moulds 
them  anew,  as  it  were,  and  influences  them  and  rules  them 
when  all  discipline  is  gone,  when  all  hope  is  gone.     Not  one. 

*  Browne's  "  Wellington  ;"  "  Conversations  with  the  Duke,"  Earl  Stan- 
hope ;  Las  Cases's  "  Memoirs,"  etc. 
t  "  The  great  world  victor's  victor." — Tennyson. 


MARSHAL   NET  3 

In  these  important  vital  qualifications  of  a  great  soldier  Key's 
position  is  simply  unique.     He  stands  alone. 

Michel  Ney  was  born  at  Saar-Louis,  on  the  river  Saar,  prov- 
ince of  Lorraine,  about  twenty-six  miles  from  Metz  and  thirty 
miles  from  Treves,  on  the  10th  day  of  January,  1769.*  His 
father,  Peter  Ney,  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  had  been  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Seven  Years'  "War.  He  had  greatly  distinguished 
himself  at  the  battle  of  Rosbach,  and  this  circumstance,  the 
crowning  glory  of  his  life,  lie  always  contrived  with  pardon- 
able pride  to  weave  into  his  "  tales  of  fields  lost  and  won." 
His  son  Michel,  the  second  of  six  children,  was  sprightly  and 
energetic,  and  at  a  very  early  age  evinced  a  decided  taste  and 
talent  for  a  military  life.  He  was  carefully  educated  at  Saar- 
Louis  at  a  school  kept  by  the  monks  of  St.  Augustine,  and 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  oflBce 
of  the  village  notary,  f 

He  remained  here  about  twelve  months,  when,  growing 
tired  of  the  law,  he  applied  for  and  obtained  an  appointment 
as  clerk  to  the  Procureur  de  Roi.  "  But  this  was  still  worse, 
for  if  he  must  be  pinned  to  the  desk  he  by  far  preferred  copy- 
ing deeds  and  contracts  to  conducting  criminal  proceedings." 
He  therefore  abandoned  his  new  duties  in  disgust,  and  soon 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  position  of  overseer  of  the  Apen- 
werler  mines.  He  Avas  afterward  superintendent  of  the  Saleck 
Iron  Works.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  quickness  of  per- 
ception, strong  common  sense,  general  intelligence,  and  faith- 
fulness to  his  official  duties. 

But  such  occupations  were  ill  adapted  to  his  genius.  He 
was  yearning  for  the  excitement  and  glory  of  a  military  life. 
His  parents,  however,  were  bitterly  opposed  to  his  entering 
the  army  ;  and  young  Ney,  a  most  loving  and  dutiful  son, 


*  Napoleon  was  born  in  1769.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  the 
twelve  men  who,  in  one  way  or  another,  so  greatly  influenced  the  fortunes 
of  Bonaparte,  were  all  born  in  the  same  year,  1769— viz.,  Wellington, 
Ney,  Lannes,  Soult,  Lavalette,  Castlereagh,  Arndt,  Mehee,  Bourrienne, 
Tallien,  Belliard,  and  Sir  Hudson  Lowe. 

f  "  The  minutes  in  Ney's  handwriting  are  still  preserved  in  this  office  as 
valuable  relics."—"  Memoirs  of  Marshal  Ney,"  London,  183B. 


4  MARSHAL  NET. 

hesitated  a  long  time  before  lie  ventured  to  oppose  their 
wishes.  But  the  master  passion  of  his  soul  finally  overpow- 
ered every  other  feeling. 

He  left  his  home  amid  the  tears,  remonstrances,  and  threats 
of  his  parents,  and  "without  clothes  or  money,"  his  feet 
bleeding  at  every  step,  set  out  for  Metz,  where  the  Fourth 
Regiment  of  Hussars,  called  at  that  time  the  Regiment  de 
Colonel  General,  was  then  quartered.  On  his  arrival  at  Metz, 
February  1st,  1787,  Ney  enlisted  in  this  regiment,  being  then 
in  his  nineteenth  year.  "  His  good  conduct,  his  application, 
and  the  rapidity  with  which  he  made  himself  master  of  his 
duty  attracted  the  attention  of  his  ofiicers,  while  his  patient 
submission  to  discipline  and  his  orderly  conduct  elicited  their 
good  will  ;  and,  as  he  wrote  a  heautiful  hand,  he  was  soon 
employed  in  the  quartermaster's  office."  Whatever  leisure 
time  he  could  command  he  devoted  to  hard  study,  laboring 
day  and  night  to  qualify  himself  for  his  new  duties.  "  He 
distinguished  himself  among  his  comrades  by  his  fine,  soldier- 
like appearance,  his  great  dexterity  in  the  use  of  his  weapons, 
and  by  the  ease  and  boldness  with  which  he  rode  the  most 
dangerous  horses  and  broke  in  those  hitherto  considered  un- 
manageable. 

"  On  this  account  every  regimental  afi!air  of  honor  was  con- 
fided to  him.  The  fencing-master  of  the  Chasseurs  de  Vin- 
timille,  a  regiment  also  quartered  at  Metz,  was,  like  most 
regimental  fencing-masters  of  those  days,  a  dangerous  duellist, 
and  as  such  dreaded  not  only  by  young  recruits  but  by  old 
and  experienced  swordsmen.  This  man  had  wounded  the 
fencing-master  of  the  Colonel  General  and  insulted  the  whole 
regiment.  The  non-commissioned  officers  having  held  a  meet- 
ing to  take  measures  for  the  punishment  of  this  bully,  Ney, 
just  promoted,  was  selected,  as  the  bravest  and  cleverest 
swordsman,  to  inflict  the  chastisement  deemed  necessary.  He 
accepted  the  mission  with  joy  ;  and  though  prevented  at  the 
time  by  the  colonel  of  his  regiment  from  carrying  out  his  pur- 
pose, he  afterward  met  his  antagonist  in  a  secret  place,  and, 
after  a  sharp  encounter,  defeated  him,  wounding  him  serious- 
ly in  the  wrist.     The  fencing-master,  thus  disabled  and  dis- 


MARSHAL  NET.  5 

graced,  was  speedily  dismissed  from  his  regiment.  He  was 
afterward  reduced  to  great  poverty,  and  Ney,  hearing  of  his 
condition,  with  characteristic  warm-heartedness  sought  him 
out  and  settled  a  pension  on  him."    ("  Memoirs.") 

Ney's  promotion  was  rapid.  So  zealous  and  efficient  an 
officer  could  not  long  remain  in  a  subordinate  position.  He 
was  promoted  five  times  in  the  year  1792,  to.  wit  :  Marechal 
des  logis,  February  1st  ;  marechal  des  logis  chef,  April  1st  ; 
adjutant,  June  14th  ;  sub-lieutenant,  October  29th,  and  lieu- 
tenant, November  5th.  On  March  29th,  1793,  he  was  ap- 
pointed aide-de-camp  to  General  Lamarche,  one  of  the  best 
soldiers  of  the  revolutionary  period.  "  Thus  Ney,  almost  at 
the  outset  of  his  career,  found  himself  in  a  situation  to  study 
the  art  of  war  without  being  subjected  to  the  painful  drudgery 
of  the  lower  grades.  Being  placed  upon  an  eminence  whence 
his  eye  could  embrace  the  whole  field  of  military  tactics,  he 
was  thus  initiated  into  the  secret  of  grand  movements,  which 
he  was  in  a  situation  not  only  to  study  and  comprehend,  but 
at  times  to  dissect  in  person  ;  and  he  soon  proved  that  the  les- 
sons he  received  were  not  thrown  away." 

Unfortunately,  General  Lamarche  was  killed  at  the  storming 
of  the  camp  at  Famars.  Ney  then  served  for  a  short  time  on 
the  staff  of  General  Colaud.  He  was  made  a  captain  in  his 
old  regiment  April  26th,  1794.  After  the  battle  of  Fleurus, 
in  which  Ney  particularly  distinguished  himself,  Kleber  ap- 
pointed him  adjutant-general  of  his  division,  and  shortly  after- 
ward placed  him  at  the  head  of  a  select  body  of  five  hundred 
men,  called  Partisans,  whose  duty  it  was  to  act  as  the  van- 
guard of  the  army,  to  execute  missions  of  extraordinary  peril, 
to  traverse  the  enemy's  lines,  to  reconnoitre  his  positions  and 
strength,  to  cut  off  his  convoys,  and  to  destroy  or  make  pris- 
oners such  separate  detachments  as  they  might  encounter — to 
be  ready  for  any  enterprise,  however  daring  or  desperate. 

This  was  a  position  of  immense  responsibility,  requiring 
great  courage,  energy,  judgment,  and  skill.  But  Ney  not 
only  met  Kleber's  expectations,  but  went  far  beyond  them."^ 

*  "  Young  Ney  brought  to  this  perilous  service  all  his  mental  and  physi- 
cal powers.     His  iron  will  seemed  to  compensate  for  the  loss  of  sleep  and 


6  MARSHAL  NEY. 

Kleber  could  not  find  words  with  which  to  express  his  ad- 
miration of  this  new  Agamemnon.  "  1  can't  do  without 
him,"  he  said.  "  In  every  operation  entrusted  to  him  he  dis- 
plays the  most  consummate  skill  and  bravery."  In  fact, 
Jourdan  and  Kleber  had  a  hot  quarrel  about  Ney.  "I  must 
liave  him,"  said  Jourdan.  "  I  must  have  him,"  said  Kleber  ; 
and  the  dispute  could  be  settled  only  by  an  appeal  to  higher 
authority.  It  is  impossible  in  this  brief  sketch  to  follow  Ney 
through  all  the  battles,  skirmishes,  reconnoissances,  forays, 
etc.,  in  which  his  command  was  engaged.  He  was  almost 
always  successful,  even  when  the  odds  were  fearfully  against 
him.  His  men  had  boundless  confidence  in  him.  They  were 
willing  to  go  anywhere  and  attempt  anything  at  his  bidding. 
And  they  loved  him,  even  at  this  early  stage  of  his  career, 
with  a  passion  which  amounted  almost  to  idolatry. 

At  the  siege  of  Maestricht,  Ney  rendered  the  most  valuable 
services.  Indeed,  the  success  of  the  undertaking  was  mainly 
due  to  his  able  dispositions  and  brilliant  manoeuvres.  Berna- 
dotte  wrote  to  Kleber  :  "  Great  praise  is  due  to  the  brave 
Ney.  He  seconded  me  with  the  ability  which  you  know  he 
possesses  ;  and  I  am  bound  to  add,  in  strict  justice,  that  he 
greatly  contributed  to  the  success  we  have  obtained. ' '  During 
the  siege  of  Maj-^ence,  in  January,  1795,  Ney,  while  cutting 
his  way,  single-handed,  through  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  arm.*  "  A  species  of  lockjaw  en- 
sued, and  he  became  restless  and  desponding.  Being  informed 
that  he  had  been  appointed  general  of  brigade,  this  promotion 
was  only  a  source  of  uneasiness  to  him.  He  did  not  think  he 
had  done  enough  to  merit  that  rank,  and  wished  to  leave  it  to 
those  who,  as  he  said,  had  better  claims  than  his.  In  vain 
were  his  scruples  laughed  at  ;  in  vain  was  he  urged  to  accept 
the  promotion  ;  it  was  impossible  to  shake  his  resistance  or 
overcome  his  modesty. 

"  As  his  wound  continued  painful,  the  representative,  Mer- 

food  and  rest.     Daunted  by  no  danger,  exhausted  by  no  toil,  caught  by 
no  stratagem,  he  acquired  at  the  head  of  this  bold  band  of  warriors  the 
title  of  the  Indefatigable" — Headley. 
*  Gunshot  wound. 


MARSHAL   NET.  7 

lin,  recommended  liim  to  try  his  native  air.  '  My  brave  friend, ' 
he  vi'rote,  '  go  and  complete  your  cure  at  Sarrelibre,*  your 
birthj^lace.  I  have  dispatched  an  order  to  the  surgeon  of  first- 
class,  Bonaventure,  to  send  one  of  liis  pupils  with  you.  He- 
turn  soon  and  lend  us  your  powerful  aid  against  the  enemies 
of  your  country.'  The  spring  was  advancing,  active  opera- 
tions were  about  to  be  resumed,  and  Joey's  wound  was  not  yet 
healed.  With  anxiety,  though  resigned,  he  watched  the  slow 
progress  of  his  convalescence.  His  hopes  were  still  buoyant, 
and  he  trusted  that  his  youth  and  the  aj^proaching  season 
would  speedily  restore  him  to  health"  ("  Memoirs").  The 
campaign  soon  opened,  and  ISTey  set  out  forthwith  for  head- 
quarters without  regard  to  the  condition  of  his  wound  and 
against  the  express  commands  of  his  surgeon.  He  still  per- 
sisted in  declining  the  office  of  brigadier-general.  Kleber  and 
his  other  friends  earnestly  remonstrated  with  him,  but  it  did 
no  good.  He  felt  that  he  was  unworthy  of  so  great  an 
honor. 

His  return  to  the  army  was  hailed  with  the  liveliest  satisfac- 
tion. Though  his  wounds  were  not  altogether  healed,  he  at 
once  entered  upon  his  duties  with  all  the  ardor  and  energy  of 
his  nature.  At  Wurtzburg  and  Forchheim  he  w^as  eminently 
successful.  "  With  one  hundred  cavalry  he  took  two  thou- 
sand prisoners  and  obtained  possession  of  Wurtzburg.  He 
led  two  columns  straight  into  the  river,  and,  forcing  the  op- 
posite banks,  though  lined  with  cannon,  made  himself  master 
of  Forchheim."  Before  the  river  was  fairly  crossed  the  im- 
perial army  fled  in  dismay,  and  Ney  quietly  "  rode  up  to  the 
gates  and  summoned  the  garrison  to  surrender.  The  com- 
mander hesitated,  but  Ney  swore  that  he  would  bombard  the 
place  unless  his  demands  were  instantly  complied  with.  The 
commandant  wished  to  parley  in  order  to  gain  time  ;  but  Ney, 
bursting  into  a  violent  rage  at  such  useless  obstinacy,  swore 
that  he  would  put  the  whole  garrison  to  the  sword  if  the  sur- 
render were  delayed  another  instant.  This  threat  produced 
the  desired  effect,  and  Forchheim,  with  its  arms,  ammunition, 

*  "  The  name  of  Sarrelouis  had    been  Jacobinized  into  Sarrelibre. " 
(*'  Memoirs.")    This  may  be  a  mistake. 


8  MARSHAL  NEY. 

and  stores  of  provisions,  was  immediately  surrendered  to  the 
French."    ("Memoirs.") 

Kleber  was  delighted  at  Ney's  brilliant  success.  He  com- 
plimented him  in  the  highest  terms,  and  in  the  presence  of  his 
men  said  the  most  flattering  things  respecting  his  talents,  zeal, 
and  courage,  "But,"  continued  he,  turning  to  Nej,  "I 
shall  not  compliment  you  upon  your  modesty,  because,  when 
carried  too  far,  it  ceases  to  be  a  good  quality.  In  sum,  you 
may  receive  my  declaration  as  you  please  ;  but  my  mind  is 
made  up,  and  1  insist  upon  your  being  general  of  brigade." 

The  chasseurs  clapped  their  hands  in  applause,  and  the 
officers  warmly  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  the  general's  de- 
termination. Ney  alone  remained  thoughtful.  He  seemed 
still  in  doubt  whether  he  should  accept  a  promotion  which 
he  had  already  declined,  and  he  uttered  not  a  word.  "  Well," 
said  Kleber  in  the  kindest  manner,  "  you  appear  very  much 
grieved  and  confused,  but  the  Austrians  are  there  waiting 
for  you  ;  go  and  vent  your  ill  humor  upon  them.  As  for  me, 
I  shall  acquaint  the  Directory  with  your  promotion. " 

He  kept  his  word  in  the  following  terms  :  "  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Ney  in  this  and  the  preceding  campaigns  has  given  numer- 
ous proofs  of  talent,  zeal,  and  intrej)idity  ;  but  he  surpassed 
even  himself  in  the  battle  which  took  place  yesterday,  and  he 
had  two  horses  killed  under  him.  I  have  thought  myself 
justified  in  promoting  him  upon  the  field  of  battle  to  tlie  rank 
of  general  of  brigade.  A  commission  of  this  grade  was  for- 
warded to  him  eighteen  months  ago,  but  his  modesty  would 
not  allow  him  then  to  accept  it.  By  confirming  this  promo- 
tion. Citizens  Directors,  you  will  perform  a  striking  act  of 
your  justice." 

Ney  was  accordingly  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general,  but  before  his  commission  arrived  he  had  still  further 
distinguished  himself  by  the  capture  of  Nuremberg,  a  "  great 
and  beautiful  city,  containing  a  noble-minded  population  smart- 
ing under  recently  inflicted  injuries." 

On  August  15th,  1796,  Ney  received  his  commission  of 
general  of  brigade  with  the  following  complimentary  letter 
from  Jourdan,  the  general -in-chief  :   "  I  inclose  you,  general, 


MABSHAL  NEY.  9 

your  commission  of  general  of  brigade,  which  I  have  just  re- 
ceived from  the  War  Minister,  Government  has  thus  dis- 
charged the  debt  wliich  it  owed  to  one  of  its  worthiest  and 
most  zealous  servants  ;  and  it  has  only  done  justice  to  the 
talents  and  courage  of  which  you  daily  give  fresh  proofs. 
Accept  my  sincere  congratulation."  Ney  determined  to 
prove  himself  worthy  of  so  high  an  honor,  and  in  the  very 
next  engagement  (near  Sulzbach)  he  conducted  his  operations 
with  so  much  ability  and  vigor  that  the  Austrians  were  beaten 
at  every  point  (though  they  occupied  almost  impregnable 
positions)  and  forced  into  a  disorderly  retreat. 

Jourdan  resigned  the  command  of  the  army  in  September, 
179G,  and  Bournonville  was  appointed  to  take  his  place.  This 
was  a  most  unfortunate  selection,  for  Bournonville,  though  a 
man  of  talent,  soon  became  disgusted  with  the  service,  and 
wished  to  divide  the  responsibility  of  commander-in-chief  with 
his  subordinate  officers.  He  wrote  as  follows  concerning 
Ney  : 

"  To  the  Minister  of  War  : 

"  I  recommend  your  proposing  to  the  Directory  that  Briga- 
dier-General Ney  be  appointed  general  of  division,  to  com- 
mand the  vanguard  in  the  place  of  General  Lefebvre.  This 
officer,  intrepid  in  action,  has,  during  the  campaign,  covered 
himself  with  glory.  He  has  always  commanded  corps  in  the 
vanguard,  and  is  the  only  one  1  know  who  could  efficiently 
command  that  of  the  army  of  Sambre-et-Meuse." 

This  was  indeed  a  very  high  compliment  ;  but  Ney  richly 
deserved  it.  Bournonville  was  soon  recalled,  and  that  great 
soldier,  Hoche,  who  had  just  failed  in  his  expedition  to  Ire- 
land owing  to  adverse  winds  and  other  unavoidable  causes, 
assumed  the  command  of  the  army.  Hoche  and  Ney  soon 
became  the  warmest  of  friends.  "  Allow  me,  general,"  said 
Hoche,  in  a  letter  to  Ney,  "  to  express  my  satisfaction  at 
serving  with  you,  whose  military  merit  is  so  generally  known 
and  appreciated." 

Ney  fully  reciprocated  these  kind  expressions.  "  1  sincere- 
ly participate,"  he  wrote  to  Hoche,  ''  in  the  delight  of  all  my 


10  MARSHAL  NET. 

comrades  at  your  arrival  among  us.  The  confidence  with 
which  your  presence  inspires  the  whole  army  is  a  sure  presage 
of  your  success.  1  shall  be  too  happy  if  I  can  at  all  contribute 
in  bringing  your  undertakings  to  a  successful  issue,  and  thus 
deserve  your  esteem." 

In  his  report  of  the  action  near  Dierdorf,  Iloche  thus  refers 
to  Ney  :  "  Ney  proceeded  with  rapidity  to  Dierdorf,  where 
he  found  the  reserve  of  the  Austrians,  six  thousand  strong,  and 
still  untouched.  With  less  than  Jive  hundred  hussars  he  en- 
gaged this  body  during  four  consecutive  hours,  and  by  his 
skill  and  energy  succeeded  in  gaining  time  until  the  arrival  of 
our  infantry  and  reserve  of  cavalry."  Shortly  afterward  Ney, 
with  a  small  force,  attacked  the  enemy  near  Giessen.  He 
charged  with  his  wonted  intrepidity  ;  but  the  Austrians  great- 
ly outnumbered  him,  and  his  troops  were  put  to  flight.  Key's 
horse  fell  and  rolled  with  him  into  a  ravine.  He  was  imme- 
diately surrounded.  Six  dragoons  made  at  him  with  their 
swords.  Still  he  would  not  surrender.  He  was  covered  with 
bruises  and  blood,  but  he  kept  his  astonished  antagonists  at 
bay  until  his  sword  snapped  in  twain.  Even  then  he  refused 
to  yield,  for,  perceiving  that  the  Fourth  Regiment  was  about 
to  make  a  fresh  charge,  he  wished  to  give  them  time  to  come 
to  his  aid.  He  used  the  stump  of  his  sword,  and  struck  and 
parried  with  so  much  vigor  and  skill  that  for  a  while  his  ene- 
mies, as  numerous  as  they  were  (they  had  increased  to  a  whole 
company  of  cavalry),  were  unable  to  capture  him.  Finally  his 
foot  slipped  and  he  fell  to  the  ground.  They  then  seized  him 
and  bore  him  in  triumph  (such  as  it  was)  to  the  Austrian  head- 
quarters. Key's  fame  had  preceded  him.  As  he  passed 
through  the  streets  of  Giessen  almost  the  entire  population, 
the  women  especially,  pressed  eagerly  forward  to  see  one 
whose  deeds  seemed  to  surpass  those  of  the  purest  days  of 
chivalry. 

The  Austrian  officer  who  was  escorting  Ney  to  headquarters 
was  greatly  annoyed.  "Really,"  said  he,  "one  would  sup- 
pose that  he  was  some  extraordinary  animal. "  "Extraordi- 
nary indeed,"  said  one  of  the  ladies,  "  since  it  required  a 
whole  squadron  of  dragoons  to  take  him." 


MARSHAL  NET.  11 

One  day  Ney  saw  an  Austrian  riding  liis  (Ney's)  liorse. 
The  animal  exhibited  the  most  vicions,  lazy,  and  obstinate 
spirit.  The  officers  began  to  laugh  at  Ney  about  the  worth- 
lessness  of  his  horse.  "  Let  me  show  you  how  to  manage 
him,"  said  Ney.  Permission  was  granted.  Key  leaped  into 
the  saddle,  and  the  noble  animal,  conscious  of  bearing  his  mas- 
ter, stepped  proudly  away.  He  made  directly  for  the  French 
lines,  and  Ney  came  very  near  effecting  his  escape.  The 
Austrians  were  greatly  alarmed.  The  trumpets  were  sound- 
ed, the  heavy  and  light  cavalry  rode  off  in  every  direction, 
and  soon  every  avenue  was  closed.  jSTey  wheeled,  and  with 
equal  speed  rode  back  to  the  Austrian  camp.  There  was  no 
more  jesting  about  his  horse. 

INey's  absence  was  deeply  felt  by  Hoche  and  by  the  entire 
army.  Hoche  wrote  to  Ney  as  follows  :  "  You  know  me 
sufficiently,  my  dear  general,  to  give  me  credit  for  the  afflic- 
tion 1  feel  at  your  misfortune.  ...  I  am  awaiting  in  the 
most  anxious  impatience  the  moment  when  I  shall  embrace  you. 
Write  to  me  and  inform  me  what  pecuniary  assistance  you  re- 
quire. Adieu,  my  dear  Ney  ;  rely  upon  my  sincere  and  constant 
friendship."  Hoche  rewarded  Ney's  men  for  their  gallantry 
and  good  conduct.  He  gave  a  horse  to  one,  a  sword  to  an- 
other, a  sash  to  a  third.  He  also  sent  to  Ney  a  magnificent 
belt,  with  a  letter  couched  in  the  most  flattering  terms.  "  In 
sending  you,"  he  wrote  from  Friedberg,  "  the  belt  which  the 
bearer  will  deliver  to  you,  I  do  not  pretend,  my  dear  general, 
to  reward  either  your  success  or  your  merit.  Pray,  therefore, 
accept  it  only  as  a  feeble  pledge  of  my  personal  esteem  and 
unalterable  friendship.  Give  me  news  of  your  health. "  The 
Directory  also  sent  him  a  very  kind  and  complimentary  letter. 

Ney  was  at  length  exchanged,  and  was  soon  put  at  the  head 
of  part  of  the  forces  destined  for  the  invasion  of  England. 
But  this  project  was  chimerical,  and  came  to  nothing.  In 
1798  Ney's  command  formed  part  of  the  corps  under  Berna- 
dotte,  called  the  Army  of  Observation,  on  the  Phine.  Berna- 
dotte  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  capture  the  city  of  Manheim. 
It  was  a  most  important  place.  It  was  separated  from  the 
French  army  by  the  river  Rhine,  and  was  defended  by  a  power- 


12  MARSHAL  KEY. 

fill  garrison.  Its  position  was  so  strong  and  so  advantageous 
every  way  that  it  was  called  the  key  of  Germany  on  that  part 
of  the  frontier.  It  also  abounded  with  provisions  and  stores 
of  almost  every  description  ;  but  it  seemed  to  be  almost  im- 
possible to  take  it  by  force.  Key  therefore  proposed  to  take 
it  by  stratagem. 

After  a  careful  reconnoissance,  Ney  was  convinced  that  a 
few  brave,  determined  men  might  cross  the  river  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  city,  march  round  the  enemy's  cantonments, 
and  fall  upon  him  in  the  rear  before  a  force  sufficient  to  repel 
them  could  be  collected  at  that  particular  point  of  attack. 
Before  engaging  in  this  bold  enterprise,  Ney  resolved  to  cross 
the  river  in  disguise  and  reconnoitre  the  enemy's  position  in 
person. 

"  Accordingly  one  evening  he  assumed  the  garb  of  a  Prus- 
sian peasant,  passed  the  Eliine,  entered  Manheim  with  a  bas- 
ket upon  his  arm,  proceeded  through  the  streets,  made  his 
observations,  and  obtained  precise  information  as  to  the  force 
which  defended  it,  and  the  j^rovisions  it  contained. 

"  No  one  suspected  him  of  being  a  spy,  as  the  German  was 
his  native  language,  and  his  manners  not  above  those  of  his 
assumed  character.  Besides,  Ney  had  a  great  deal  of  tact  and 
address,  which  upon  occasion  he  well  knew  how  to  use.  He 
was  about  to  leave  the  fortress  full  of  hope  when  he  perceived 
a  soldier  of  the  garrison  supporting  a  woman  in  the  last  stage 
of  pregnancy.  Having  accosted  the  woman,  he  expressed  an 
interest  in  her  situation,  and  his  fear  that  her  illness  might 
begin  before  the  night  was  over.  '  No  matter  if  it  does,'  the 
soldier  replied  ;  '  should  this  be  the  case,  the  commandant  will 
allow  the  drawbridge  to  be  let  down  at  any  hour  of  the  night, 
so  that  the  instant  she  is  taken  ill  she  can  liave  assistance.' 

"  This  was  all  Ney  wanted  to  know,  and  he  soon  recrossed 
the  Rhine  to  make  his  preparations.  He  selected  a  hundred 
and  fifty  of  his  bravest  soldiers,  crossed  the  river  with  them 
in  skiffs,  went  rapidly  forward,  and  concealed  them  under  the 
walls  of  Manheim  in  the  hope  that  the  woman's  labor  pains 
would  soon  come  on.  She  did  not  disappoint  him  ;  her  suf- 
ferings began,  the  bridge  was  lowered,  and  an  instant  after 


MARSHAL  NET.  13 

K"ej  and  his  men  took  possession  of  it.  The  latter,  with  their 
general  at  their  head,  then  pushed  forward,  and  the  weakness 
of  their  force  was  masked  by  the  darkness  of  the  night.  They 
assailed  the  garrison  with  such  fury  and  determination  that 
they  were  utterly  demoralized,  and  after  a  short  struggle  he 
obtained  complete  possession  of  the  place.  This  achievement 
put  the  seal  to  his  celebrity."     ("  Memoirs.") 

Being  master  of  Manheim,  they  advanced  toward  Philips- 
burg.  Upon  arriving  there  he  demanded  an  interview  with 
the  governor  of  the  town.  The  governor  dispatched  the  chief 
of  the  advanced  posts  to  represent  him  with  authority  to  ac- 
cept any  reasonable  proposals  which  Ney  might  make.  K"ey, 
who  had  but  a  small  force,  feigned  to  be  desirous  of  sparing 
the  garrison,  and  offered  a  suspension  of  arms.  The  chief  of 
the  advanced  posts  at  first  eluded  the  proposal,  but  being  a 
man  of  weak  judgment  and  devoid  of  energy,  he  soon  suffered 
himself  to  be  led  by  Ney,  and  the  suspension  was  accepted. 
Thus  was  Phihpsburg  blockaded  upon  parole,  and  Ney  be- 
came free  in  his  movements. 

On  March  2Sth,  1799,  Ney  was  appointed  general  of  divi- 
sion. His  modesty  at  once  took  the  alarm,  and  he  received 
his  commission  only  to  send  it  back.  He  felt  that  he  might 
be  competent  to  command  a  brigade,  but  not  a  division.  He 
therefore  wrote  to  the  war  minister  as  follows  : 

"  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  8th  of  Germinal 
(March  28th),  in  which  was  inclosed  the  decree  appointing 
me  general  of  division.  The  Directory,  in  conferring  this 
promotion  upon  me,  probably  yielded  to  advantageous  reports 
of  my  conduct  ;  but  it  is  my  duty  to  be  more  severe  on  my 
own  merits.  If  my  talents  were  truly  such  as  the  Directory 
have  conceived,  I  should  not  hesitate  to  accept  the  promo- 
tion ;  unfortunately  such  is  not  the  case,  and  I  am  forced  to 
decline  the  honor  the  Government  would  confer  upon  me.  1 
trust  that  this  refusal  will  be  considered  nothing  more  than  a 
proof  of  the  sincere  patriotism  by  which  I  am  actuated,  and 
of  the  disinterestedness  with  which  I  perform  my  professional 
duties.  May  1  beg  you  will  assure  the  Directory  that  I  shall 
never  have  any  other  aim  than  that  of  deserving  its  esteem." 


14  MARSHAL  NET. 

But  the  Directory  paid  no  attention  to  Key's  refusal.  The 
minister  who  forwarded  Ney's  letter  was  directed  to  make 
known  to  him  that  the  Government  persisted  in  its  decree. 
He  wrote  to  Ney  : 

"  The  Executive  Directory,  before  whom  I  laid  your  letter 
requesting  me  to  tender  your  refusal  of  the  rank  of  general  of 
division  to  which  you  had  been  appointed,  has  directed  me  to 
inform  you  that  it  persists  in  the  decree  which  promotes  you 
to  that  grade.  It  sees  in  your  modesty  only  a  stronger  claim 
to  reward  for  the  services  you  have  already  rendered,  and  a 
valuable  earnest  for  those  jow.  will  hereafter  render  to  the  re- 
public. In  consequence  of  which,  I  herewith  again  forward 
the  decree  of  your  appointment." 

Still  Ney  hesitated.  He  had  already  performed  the  duties 
of  the  new  office  to  which  he  was  appointed,  but  he  was 
afraid  to  accept  the  title. 

Bernadotte  wrote  to  him  not  to  displease  the  Directory  by 
refusing  the  promotion  which  it  persisted  in  conferring  upon 
him.  "  Look  around  you,  my  dear  Ney,"  he  wrote,  "  and 
say  candidly  whether  your  conscience  does  not  call  upon  you 
to  lay  aside  a  modesty  which  becomes  out  of  place  and  even 
dangerous  when  carried  to  excess.  We  must  have  ardent 
souls  and  hearts  as  inaccessible  to  fear  as  to  seduction  to  be 
able  to  lead  the  armies  of  France.  Who  more  than  yourself 
is  gifted  with  these  qualities  ?  It  would  be  an  act  of  weak- 
ness, then,  to  shrink  from  the  career  that  is  open  to  you. 
Adieu,  my  dear  Ney.  .  .  .  You  will,  I  know,  listen  to 
everything  from  one  who  is  attached  to  you  by  the  ties  of  the 
warmest  friendship  and  the  most  perfect  esteem." 

Ney  yielded  to  Bernadotte's  advice,  and  assumed  the  rank 
to  which  the  Directory  had  raised  him.  In  May,  1799,  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  Switzerland,  commanded  by 
Massena.  At  Andelfingen  and  Altikon,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Thur,  and  at  Winterthur,  he  more  than  sustained  his  high 
reputation.  At  the  very  commencement  of  the  action  at 
Winterthur,  Ney  "  was  struck  with  a  musket-ball,  which,  after 
passing  through  his  thigh,  spent  itself  in  the  shoulder  of  his 
horse.     He  r^nained  on  the  field,  however,  after  allowing 


MARSHAL  NET.  15 

some  of  the  men  to  bind  np  his  wound  and  stanch  the  blood 
with  their  pocket-handkerchiefs.  Afterward,  at  the  head  of 
a  small  body  of  cavalry,  they  charged  a  whole  squadron  of 
Hungarians,  and  being  attacked  by  a  foot  soldier  just  as  he 
had  struck  down  a  hussar,  he  had  not  time  to  turn  aside  the 
bayonet,  which  ])ierced  through  the  sole  of  his  foot.  lie  suc- 
ceeded in  cutting  down  his  rash  assailant,  who,  however,  in 
falling,  fired  his  piece  and  shattered  Ney's  wrist."  *  ("  Mem- 
oirs.") 

The  severity  of  IS^ey's  wounds  forced  him  to  retire  for 
awhile  from  the  command  of  his  troops,  but  at  the  end  of 
two  months  his  wounds  were  healed,  and  he  again  joined  Mas- 
sena.  But  he  was  soon  ordered  by  the  Directory  to  join  the 
Army  of  the  Rhine.  Massena  was  deeply  grieved  at  this 
order.  His  circumstances  were  too  critical  to  permit  the  de- 
parture of  sc  able  an  officer  as  I^ey,  and  he  therefore  begged 
jS^ey  to  remain  with  him  until  the  danger  was  past.  "  I  was 
aware,  my  dear  general,"  he  wrote  to  Ney,  '*  of  the  order 
given  you  to  join  the  army  on  the  Rhine,  but  I  must  request 
you  will  defer  your  departure  for  some  days.  Indeed,  1  most 
earnestly  entreat  you  to  do  so.  You  are  necessary,  nay,  indis- 
pensable, to  your  division  ;  and  I  should  feel  the  most  lively 
regret  if  you  were  to  leave  until  the  arrival  of  the  general  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  you.  At  all  events,  be  assured  that  it  is 
with  great  regret  I  see  you  taken  from  an  army  to  whose  suc- 
cess you  have  so  powerfully  contributed."  Ney  therefore 
remained  a  short  time  longer. 

At  Heilbronn,  Ney  gained  a  magnificent  victory  over  a 
greatly  superior  force  almost  solely  by  the  use  of  his  artillery. 
Never  were  three  guns  served  with  more  skill  and  effect. 
The  Austrian  cavalry,  a  large  and  fine  body  of  men,  made 
repeated  and  desperate  charges,  but  jSTey's  artillery  mowed 
them  down  by  hundreds,  until  at  last,  tired  out  and  demoral- 
ized, they  fled  tumultuously  from  the  field.  A  few  days 
afterward  the  Austrians  appeared  in  overwhelming  numbers, 
and  the  French  army  was  compelled  to  retreat,  owing  to  the 

*  Wounded  in  thigh  (Jcnee,  according  to  Ney's  official  report  to  Mas- 
sena), foot,  wrist  (or  hand,  according  to  Ney's  official  report). 


16  MARSHAL  NET. 

bad  dispositions  and  faulty  arrangements  in  general  of  the 
commanding  officer.  Ney  warmly  protested  against  them, 
but  it  did  no  good.  Nothing  was  left  but  "  patient  resigna- 
tion to  events."  The  end  soon  came.  The  Austrians  at- 
tacked the  French  in  their  ill-chosen  position,  and,  after  a 
spirited  resistance,  completely  routed  them.  The  French 
were  compelled  to  evacuate  Manheim,  and  the  Austrians, 
flushed  with  victory,  boldly  attacked  their  communications. 

"  General  Yandermassen  and  Adjutant-General  Lefol,  having 
collected  a  few  men,  threw  themselves  in  front  of  the  enemy, 
but  being  almost  immediately  surrounded,  some  of  their  sol- 
diers were  put  to  the  sword  and  the  remainder  unconditionally 
surrendered.  The  French  army  was  now  in  open  flight,  and 
the  greater  part  of  it  would  have  been  destroyed  had  not  Ney 
come  to  its  assistance.  In  the  action  which  followed  Ney  was 
twice  wounded.  He  received  a  musket  shot  in  the  chest,  and 
his  thigh  was  dreadfully  contused  by  a  Biscayan."  ("  Mem- 
oirs.") 

General  Muller,  the  commander-in-chief,  was  a  patriotic 
but  a  very  slow  and  incompetent  oflicer.  He  had  succeeded, 
with  the  best  intentions,  in  getting  the  French  army  into  a 
most  miserable  and  critical  condition.  Ney  was  disgusted 
with  his  operations,  but  he  continued  faithfully  to  perform  his 
duties.  General  Muller  was  soon  recalled  by  the  Directory, 
and  Ney  was  appointed  (September,  1799)  to  take  his  place  as 
commander-in-chief.  He  at  first  refused  to  accept  the  ap- 
pointment. "The  difficult  situation  in  which  the  army  was 
placed  and  his  own  ill  health — two  wounds  being  yet  un- 
healed— induced  him  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  get  rid  of  the 
perilous  honor  conferred  upon  him.  But  the  Directory  had 
forwarded  his  commission,  and  the  generals  and  other  officers 
unanimously  entreated  him  to  put  himself  at  their  head.  He 
therefore  acceded  to  their  wishes,  but  rather  as  a  self-immo- 
lated victim  tlian  as  an  officer  whose  ambition  is  crowned  by 
fortune. 

"  His  first  act  was  to  claim  the  indulgence  of  his  colleagues, 
and  to  invoke  the  aid  of  their  talents  and  exertions.  '  The 
Executive   Directory,'  said   he   in   his   circular,   'has   called 


MARSHAL  NET.  17 

upon  me  to  assume  the  provisional  command  of  the  army  in 
the  room  of  General  Muller.  You  are  aware  of  the  ineth- 
ciency  of  my  mihtary  talents  for  this  important  station,  par- 
ticularly in  our  present  critical  situation.  I  shall  perhaps 
become  the  victim  of  my  obedience,  but  under  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  are  placed  I  am  bound  to  accept  the  ap- 
pointment. I  therefore  claim  your  kind  solicitude  for  the 
safety  of  the  troops  under  your  command,  as  also  your  indi- 
vidual kindness  toward  myself.  I  must,  moreover,  inform 
you  that  I  have  signified  to  the  Directory  my  intention  of  not 
retaining  the  command  beyond  ten  days.' 

"  Nothing  could  be  more  modest  than  this  address,  nor  show 
a  stronger  proof  of  the  most  devoted  zeal.  But  every  officer 
in  the  army  had  the  strongest  confidence  in  Ney's  talents. 
The  different  commanders  of  corps,  whose  assistance  he  solicit- 
ed, had  fought  with  him,  some  in  Helvetia,  others  in  the 
Army  of  Sambre-et-Meuse  ;  all  knew  his  ability  and  daring 
courage,  and  all  \vere  delighted  at  seeing  him  assume  the 
command." 

General  Gillot  congratulated  the  army  upon  having  Key 
at  its  head.  He  wrote  to  Ney  as  follows  :  "1  have  learned 
with  real  pleasure  your  appointment  to  the  provisional  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Rhine.  .  .  .  You  may  depend, 
Citizen  General,  upon  my  vigilance  for  the  safety  of  the  troops 
under  my  command,  and  believe  me  when  I  say  that  I  will 
always  exert  myself  to  deserve  your  esteem  and  friend- 
ship." 

General  Leval  was  still  warmer  in  his  congratulations.  He 
wrote  :  "If,  in  the  whole  course  of  my  life,  my  dear  com- 
rade, I  ever  experienced  satisfaction,  it  was  on  receiving  the 
news  of  your  appointment  to  the  chief  command  of  this  army. 
It  is  of  a  certainty  weak,  but  it  is  composed  of  soldiers  who 
greatly  esteem  you.  You  are  calculated  to  inspire  confi- 
dence ;  and  it  is  with  redoubled  zeal  that  I  shall  study  to 
execute  scrupulously  the  orders  you  may  give  me.  .  .  .  You 
may  rely,  my  dear  general,  upon  my  neglecting  nothing  to 
contribute  to  the  success  of  your  undertakings.  That  is  the 
first  proof  I  will  give  you  of  the  satisfaction  I  experience  at 


18  MARSHAL  NET. 

being  mider  your  command.  Rely,  also,  upon  my  sincere 
devotion  and  friendship." 

General  Legrand  was  equally  delighted.  In  his  letter  he 
says  :  "•  The  last  courier,  my  dear  general,  brought  me  the 
news  of  General  Muller's  departure  from  Paris,  and  your  ap- 
pointment to  the  chief  command  of  the  army.  This  gives  me 
the  most  lively  pleasure.  .  .  .  The  promptitude  with  which 
I  will  proceed  to  whatever  post  you  may  assign  me  will  prove 
to  you  how  much  pleasure  I  feel  in  serving  under  your  orders, 
and  the  sincere  attachment  of  your  comrade  and  friend." 

Ney  at  once  acted  with  decision  and  vigor.  The  army  was 
in  a  measure  reorganized.  Incompetent  and  sore-headed  offi- 
cers were  weeded  out  and  new  men  put  in  their  places.  His 
soldiers  were  comparatively  well  fed,  well  clothed,  and  well 
armed.  The  strictest  discipline  was  enforced  in  every  depart- 
ment ;  the  frontiers  were  carefully  fortified  and  guarded  ;  the 
enemy,  closely  watched,  was  foiled  in  every  movement,  and 
confidence,  even  enthusiasm,  was  infused  into  every  branch 
of  the  service.  T]ie  wily  Archduke  Charles  endeavored  to 
surprise  Ney,  but  was  soundly  punished  for  his  presumption. 
At  Frankfort  the  Austrian  militia  were  quickly  overthrown 
and  almost  entirely  destroyed. 

The  French  army  was  daily  gaining  important  advantages, 
though  JSTey  had  almost  insuperable  obstacles  to  overcome,  and 
its  morale  was  of  the  highest  order.  Grosgerau  and  Trebbin 
were  easily  taken,  and  at  Heidelberg  (October  15th)  Ney  gained 
a  decisive  victory  over  Prince  Liehtenstein,  who  commanded 
during  the  action.  The  Austrians  made  a  most  heroic  resist- 
ance, but  they  were  at  length  cut  to  pieces  and  driven  in  con- 
fusion from  the  field.  On  October  29th  JSTey  encountered 
and  routed  the  enemy  at  Haslach.  The  next  day  there  was 
an  engagement  near  Slocksberg,  and  the  Imperialists,  under 
Prince  Hohenlohe,  were  again  defeated.  On  both  occasions 
Ney  was  greatly  outnumbered,  but  he  made  up  for  this  dis- 
proportion of  force  by  the  skill,  prudence,  and  valor  with 
which  he  combated  the  enemy. 

General  Lecourbe  now  assumed  command  of  the  army,  and 
victory  at  once  deserted  its  standards.     Lecourbe  had  some 


MARSHAL  NET.  19 

military  talent,  but  he  was  petulant,  jealous,  and  wanting  in 
energy.  The  French  army  met  with  several  reverses,  and 
was  forced  into  a  retrograde  movement.  Lecourbe  was 
greatly  disheartened,  and  made  a  strong  appeal  to  Key  to 
help  him  out  of  his  difficulties.  He  asked  him  to  "  employ 
his  influence  in  rekindling  the  courage  of  the  men,  in  rousing 
the  energy  they  were  capable  of  displaying,  and  again  excit- 
ino;  that  confidence  in  themselves  which  had  so  often  led  them 
to  victory." 

Ney  readily  promised  to  aid  him  in  every  way  that  he  could, 
and  in  the  very  next  engagement,  near  Wislok,  jSIey  taught 
the  enemy  a  severe  lesson.  Prince  Hohenlohe,  in  strong 
force,  attacked  Ney,  with  a  mere  handful  of  men.  The 
action  was  long  and  obstinately  contested.  Hohenlohe  made 
repeated  charges  with  the  most  determined  bravery,  but  every 
attack  was  successfully  resisted,  until  at  length  Ney,  seizing 
the  opportune  moment,  executed  a  brilliant  manoeuvre  and 
decided  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  Hohenlohe  retreated,  and 
the  French  were  left  masters  of  the  field. 

This  victory,  entirely  due  to  Ney,  restored  the  confidence 
of  the  army,  and  the  soldiers  were  eager  to  be  led  against  the 
enemy.  In  the  campaign  of  1800-1801  Ney  served  under 
Moreau  in  the  Army  of  the  Rhine.'^^  Here  he  won  fresh 
laurels.  He  foiled  and  defeated  the  enemy  at  every  point. 
At  Stettin  he  made  a  night  attack  upon  the  Austrians,  who 
occupied  a  strong  position  in  the  gorges  of  the  mountains,  and 
before  day  they  were  entirely  routed.  At  Ingolstadt,  Ney 
gained  an  important  victory  over  the  Austrian  General  Neu, 
who  had  great  reputation  in  his  army  as  a  bold,  dashing,  and 
successful  officer.  He  endeavored  to  surprise  Ney,  but  was 
himself  surprised  and  ignobly  defeated.  The  French  were  so 
confident  of  victory  that  they  formed  and  marched  against  the 

*  Nc}'  seems  to  liave  suffered  a  good  deal  from  his  wounds.  Before  he 
joiued  Moreau  he  had  for  some  time  been  "  living  in  retirement  at  Mal- 
grange,  where  his  still  unhealed  Avounds  confined  him  to  his  bed."  The 
two  wounds  which  he  received  in  September,  1799  (chest  and  thigh)  were 
not  serious,  as  he  did  not  leave  the  army,  but  continued  in  active  service. 
It  is  probable  that  he  received  other  icounds  of  which  no  account  is  given. 


20  MARSHAL  NEY. 

enemy  amid  shouts  of  laughter  and  derision,  "  Here  we 
are,"  said  an  old  hussar,  "  nez  d  nez^  (Ney  a  Neu).  Let  us 
see  how  matters  will  come  to  pass."  Ney  broke  through  the 
Austrian  ranks,  put  them  to  complete  flight,  and  took  six 
pieces  of  cannon  and  six  hundred  prisoners. 

At  the  great  battle  of  Hohenlinden  (so  graphically  described 
by  the  poet  Campbell,  who  viewed  the  conflict  at  a  safe  and 
convenient  distance),  Ney  was  foremost  in  those  terrible  onsets 
which  decided  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  His  talents,  his 
energy,  his  staying  qualities  had  never  been  more  conspicu- 
ously displayed.  jSTey's  last  feat  in  this  war  added  to  his  re- 
nown as  the  ablest  strategist  in  the  French  army.  I  quote 
from  the  "  Memoirs." 

"  Ney,  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  had  arrived  upon  the  Ems 
and  nearly  overtaken  the  Austrian  rear-guard.  He  was  direct- 
ed to  continue  the  pursuit  ;  but  he  could  not  reach  the  enemy 
without  crossing  the  plain,  and  he  was  not  sufliciently  strong 
to  encounter  the  cavalry  by  which  it  was  covered.  Unable, 
therefore,  to  employ  force,  he  had  recourse  to  stratagem.  He 
demanded  an  interview  with  Schwartzenburg,  represented  to 
that  general  the  hopelessness  of  the  struggle,  and  the  danger 
of  resistance  ;  in  short,  he  performed  his  part  so  well  that  he 
obtained,  without  firing  a  shot,  that  which  he  did  not  feel 
himself  strong  enough  to  carry  by  arms.  The  prince  gave  up 
the  whole  country  to  him,  and  peaceably  withdrew  behind 
the  Ips." 

A  treaty  of  peace  between  Austria  and  France  was  signed 
at  Luneville  on  February  9th,  ISOl,  and  Moreau  and  his  army 
returned  to  France.  Ney  was  warmly  received  by  the  First 
Consul.  He  had  taken  no  part  in  tlie  revolution  of  the  18tli 
Brumaire,  but  subsequent  events  had  seemed  to  him  fully  to 
justify  the  change  which  had  taken  place,  and  he  heartily  sup- 
ported the  new  government. 

Bonaparte   was  lavish  in  his  praises.     He  was  anxious  to 

*  "  Nez  a  nez  (nose  to  nose),  pronounced  Ney-^-Ney.  The  pronuncia- 
tion of  the  German  Neu  is  between  the  name  Ney  and  the  English  mono- 
syllable nigh.  Thus  the  English  reader  may  easily  understand  the  double 
entente.''' — "  Memoirs." 


MARSHAL  NET.  'Zl. 

attach  Nej  to  his  person  and  his  fortunes,  and  he  therefore 
phed  him  with  all  the  arts  of  which  he  was  capable.  Josephine 
ably  seconded  hirn.  She  invoked  the  aid  of  love — a  power 
which  moves  the  world,  "  She  brought  about  an  attachment 
between  Ney  and  a  young  favorite  of  hers  (Mile.  Aglae  Louise 
Auguie),  and  wound  up  the  romance  with  the  marriage  of  the 
lovers." 

The  following  letter  to  Ney  explains  itself  : 

"  I  inclose  yon,  general,  the  letter  which  you  requested  for 
Citizen  Auguie.  May  I  beg  that  you  will  read  it  ?  I  have 
not  mentioned  in  it  all  the  good  which  I  know  and  think  of 
you  ;  for  I  would  leave  this  amiable  family  the  satisfaction  of 
discovering  your  good  qualities  themselves.  But  I  here  re- 
peat the  assurance  of  the  interest  which  both  Bonaparte  and  I 
take  in  this  marriage,  and  of  the  satisfaction  which  Bonaparte 
will  feel  in  promoting  the  happiness  of  two  ^jersons  toward 
v/hom  he  entertains  very  particular  feelings  of  regard  and 
esteem.     I  share  with  him  in  this  double  feeling, 

"  Lapagerie  Bonaparte. 

"  Maoiaisok,  May  30,  1802." 

!N^ey  went,  saw,  conquered.  Mile.  Auguie  was  a  beautiful 
woman,  of  gentle  heart  and  rare  accomplishments.  She  was 
a  niece  of  Madame  Campan,  and  had  been  educated  at  the 
famous  school  of  St.  Germain.  One  of  her  intimate  friends 
was  Hortense  Beauharnais,  afterward  Madame  Louis  Bona- 
parte, Queen  of  Holland.  The  marriage  was  celebrated  at 
the  chateau  of  Grignon,  the  residence  of  M.  Auguie,  on  the 
26th  day  of  July,  1802.^ 

Ney  was  quite  poor.  lie  had  had  abundant  opportunities 
for  amassing  wealth  of  almost  every  description,  but  he  was 
no  plunderer  like  Massena  or  Augereau.  "  Everything  for 
France  and  her  soldiers,"  said  he;  "nothing  for  myself," 
There  never  was  a  more  generous,  a  more  unselfish  patriot. 
He  required  the  inhabitants  of  the  countries  through  which 

*  Goodrich  says  Ney  was  married  on  August  4th,  1802.  But,  according 
to  tlie  official  record,  he  was  married  "  le  6  Thermidor  an  dix  de  la  Ke- 
publique  Fran9aise  a  10  heures  du  matin"— July  26th,  1802. 


23  MARSHAL  NET. 

lie  passed  to  feed  and  clothe  liis  starving  and  naked  soldiers, 
but  he  permitted  no  stealing  or  marauding  of  any  character, 
lie  punished  with  severity  those  who  were  guilty  of  such  acts. 
His  wife's  fortune  was  also  small.  But  both  of  them  were 
young,  happy,  and  hopeful.* 

"  In  the  village  where  Ney  was  married  dwelt  an  old  couple 
who  had  been  married  half  a  century.  Ney  clothed  them  and 
made  them  receive  their  second  f  nuptial  benediction  on  the 
same  day  and  at  the  same  altar  with  himself  and  his  young 
bride,  thus  marking  his  own  marriage  by  an  act  of  benevo- 
lence. '  These  old  people,'  he  observed,  '  will  recall  to  my 
mind  the  lowliness  of  my  own  origin  ;  and  this  renewal  of  their 
long  union  will  prove  of  happy  augury  for  my  own, '  The 
thought  was  the  emanation  of  a  noble  mind  ;  but  the  presage 
which  it  expressed  was,  unhappily,  not  to  be  accomplished." 
("  Memoirs.") 

Prior  to  his  marriage  "^^J  had  been  appointed  inspector- 
general  of  cavalry  in  the  Third,  Fifth,  and  TM'enty-sixth  Divi- 
sions, and  the  zeal  and  ability  with  which  he  performed  his 
duties  gave  much  satisfaction  to  the  First  Consul.  Ney  cor- 
rected abuses,  disciplined  wrong-doers,  introduced  many  need- 
ed reforms,  and  gave  new  life  and  energy  to  this  important 
arm  of  the  service. 

But  a  still  higher  honor  awaited  him.  In  the  fall  of  1802 
Bonaparte  appointed  Key  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Re- 
public of  Switzerland.  This  country  was  torn  in  j^ieces  by 
intestine  feuds  of  the  most  formidable  character.  Ney's  mis- 
sion under  ordinary  circumstances  would  have  been  delicate 
and  difficult,  but  it  was  rendered  doubly  so  by  the  fact  that 
he  went  as  a  kind  of  armed  mediator,  with  peace  in  one  hand 
and  a  sword  in  the  other.:}: 

*  "  Le  brave  homme  !"  §crit  Mme.  Campan  ;  "  je  m'aboanerais  volon- 
tiers  a  la  moitie  de  ses  qualites  pour  chacuue  de  mes  nieces  !" — "  Le  Mare- 
chal  Ney,  le  General,"  etc. 

•f-  "  In  France,  when  a  couple  has  spent  half  a  century  in  the  joys  of 
wedded  life,  tlie  nuptial  benediction  is  renewed." — "  Memoirs." 

X  Ney  had  about  thirty  thousand  soldiers  in  Switzerland.  We  must  also 
remember  that  England  and  other  foreign  powers  were  violently  opposed 
to  French  mediation  in  Switzerland,  and  were  quick  to  throw  every  possi- 


MAUSIiAL  NEY.  23 

We  may  make  people  obey  us,  but  we  cannot  make  them 
love  us.  Still,  Key,  in  spite  of  seemingly  insurmountable  diffi- 
culties, conducted  his  negotiations  with  so  much  patience, 
prudence,  and  tact  (qualities  which  it  is  generally  supposed  he 
did  not  possess)  that  in  a  little  more  than  twelve  months  he 
had  accomplished  the  object  of  liis  mission  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  the  First  Consul  (always  hard  to  please),  and,  what 
is  still  more  wonderful,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  Swiss 
people  themselves.  He  had  established  "  peace  and  concord" 
in  Switzerland,  and  had  won  the  love  and  confidence  of  his 
bitterest  foes — indeed,  of  a  whole  nation,  suspicious,  embit- 
tered, rebellious,  and  at  times  exasperated  almost  beyond  en- 
durance.* The  glory  of  this  achievement  is  second  only  to 
that  which  encircled  the  hero's  brow  in  the  Russian  retreat. f 
Kor  were  the  honest  Swiss  either  slow  or  ungenerous  in  testi- 
fying their  sense  of  the  value  of  Ney's  services.  There  were 
public  rejoicings  everywhere,  and  all  felt  that  the  French  gen- 
eral had  rendered  an  invaluable  service  to  the  entire  nation.:}: 

ble  obstacle  in  the  way  of  such  mediation.  Rapp,  too,  as  the  forerunner 
of  Ney,  was  a  total  failure,  adding  (though  with  the  best  intentions)  fuel 
to  the  flame  wherever  he  went. 

*  The  spirit  of  revolt  had  been  aroused  by  French  aggression  in  1798, 
only  four  years  before  Ney's  mission  to  Switzerland. 

f  Ney's  fame  as  a  soldier  is  so  great  that  historians  have  been  accus- 
tomed lightly  to  pass  over  this  important  period  of  the  Marshal's  life,  and 
to  seek  for  laurels  only  in  his  military  career.  But  Ney  was  almost  as 
great  in  the  Cabinet  as  he  was  in  the  field.  A  short  time  before  he  left 
Switzerland,  Talleyrand,  prince  of  diplomatists,  wrote  to  him  as  follows  : 
"  The  Government  relies  upon  your  talents  and  zeal.  You  are  equally 
distinguished,  General,  both  as  a  soldier  and  a  politician."  Every  one 
must  admit  that  Ney's  diplomatic  career  in  Switzerland  reflected  infinite 
credit  alike  upon  his  head  and  his  heart. 

"  Sent  as  a  plenipotentiary  to  Switzerland,  Ney  displayed  much  adroit- 
ness and  vigor,  and  was  exceedingly  successful  in  difficult  circumstances." 
— "  Imperial  Dictionary  of  Universal  Biography." 

X  Prior  to  Ney's  departure  the  Landamman  was  authorized  to  express 
the  regret  of  the  confederated  cantons  at  losing  him,  and  in  their  name  to 
forward  to  him  a  snuff-box  with  the  monogram  of  Switzerland  set  in  dia- 
monds on  the  lid,  and  accompanied  with  the  following  letter  : 

Genehal  :  At  the  moment  of  j^our  departure  from  us,  .  .  .  allow  me 
to  fulfil  a  most  agreeable  duty,  that  of  speaking  of  the  good  you  have  done 
us  and  of  our  gratitude  toward  you.     It  is  not  solely  the  expression  of  my 


24  MARSHAL  NEY. 

A  great  soldier,  a  great  statesman,  a  great  man,  Ney  was  the 
brightest  star  in  the  consular  or  the  imperial  galaxy. 

own  private  sentiments  that  I  now  offer  you.  Having  for  the  last  ten 
months  enjoyed  the  most  delightful  intercourse  with  you,  it  is  quite  natu- 
ral that  I  should  entertain  toward  you  much  esteem  and  personal  attach- 
ment ;  but  as  chief  magistrate  of  all  Switzerland  it  is  in  her  name  that  I  now 
address  you.  All  the  cantons,  on  being  made  acquainted  with  your  intended 
departure,  have  expressed  the  most  lively  regret.  They  all  set  a  proper 
value  upon  the  share  you  have  taken  in  the  beneficial  changes  Avhich  the 
present  year  has  brought  us.  Switzerland  is  restored  to  peace  ;  order  is 
everywhere  established  ;  the  diversity  of  opinions  among  us  merges  each 
day  into  a  spirit  of  moderation  and  harmony.  .  .  .  An  act  of  kindness 
attaches  him  who  performs  it  as  well  as  him  upon  whom  it  is  conferred  ; 
we  therefore  do  not  fear  that  you  will  forget  us  ;  we  would  even,  on  every 
occasion,  continue  to  rely  upon  your  support,  for  you  have  conferred  upon 
us  at  once  the  right  and  the  habit  of  so  doing.  The  cantons  have  ex- 
pressed a  wish  that  you  would  accept  a  feeble  pledge  of  their  attachment 
and  gratitude  ;  and  seeing  the  preparations  for  your  departure,  I  have 
requested  M.  Maillardoz  to  present  it  to  you  at  Paris.  It  is  a  token  of  re- 
membrance and  nothing  more  ;  but  we  should  esteem  ourselves  happy  if, 
by  calling  to  your  recollection  a  nation  whom  you  have  so  essentially 
obliged,  it  should  prove  the  means  of  your  not  forgetting  the  sentiments 
which  every  member  of  that  nation  will  forever  feel  toward  you. 

Louis  D'Affry, 

Landamman  of  Switzerland. 
Mattsson, 

Chancellor  of  the  Confederation. 
Pkibourg,  December  28,  1803. 

"  The  citizens  of  Berne  determined  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of 
Ney's  mission  by  the  erection  of  a  public  monument ;  they  likewise  had  a 
medal  struck  upon  which  were  represented  the  disorders  to  which  he  had 
put  an  end  and  the  peace  he  had  established." — "  Memoirs." 

Murat  wrote  to  Ney  :  "  This  campaign  of  an  instant  has  covered  you 
with  glory.  It  is  a  noble  thing  to  have  obtained,  by  mild  proceedings, 
combined  with  a  formidable  appearance,  that  which  another  would  have 
effected  by  force  of  arms." 

Had  Ney's  mission  failed,  the  flame  of  civil  war  would  have  burst  forth 
in  every  part  of  the  Swiss  Republic. 


NAPOLEON. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Upon  his  return  from  Switzerland,  Ney  was  appointed  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  camp  at  Montreuil,  where  Bonaparte  was 
making  active  preparations  for  the  invasion  of  England.  Many 
historians  have  supposed  that  this  was  a  mere  feint,  that  he  had 
no  serious  intention  of  invading  England.  But  Bonaparte  him- 
self repeatedly  declared  at  St.  Helena  that  such  was  his  inten- 
tion, and  there  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  to  doubt  it.  It 
was  about  the  silliest  project  that  ever  entered  his  head,  for 
had  he  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Chaimel,  he  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  found  his  grave  on  English  soil.  Ney,  how- 
ever, was  a  firm  believer  in  the  feasibility  of  the  plan.* 

*  His  observations  are  interesting.  I  quote  from  the  "Memoirs": 
"  Moreau  dwelt  at  great  length  upon  the  dangers  of  the  invasion  of  Eng- 
land. He  deemed  it  nothing  short  of  madness  to  confront  line-of-battle 
ships  with  gunboats,  and  to  hope  that  the  passage  across  the  Channel 
could  be  won  with  such  a  craft.  Ney  was  not  of  the  same  opinion.  Bar- 
ring the  accidents  of  the  sea,  he  thought  that  by  taking  advantage  of  light 
winds,  of  calms,  and  of  long  nights,  it  was  not  impossible  to  elude  the 
vigilance  of  the  Channel  fleet  and  escape  from  the  overwhelming  superior- 
ity of  the  British  naval  force.  He  had  procured  a  journal  of  the  winds 
prevalent  in  the  Channel,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  their  course,  their 
variation,  the  periods  when  they  blow  with  violence,  and  those  when  their 
action  is  suspended.  He  had,  therefore,  no  doubt  that  by  seizing  a  favor- 
able opportunity,  the  French  army  might  escape  the  fleet  which  alarmed 
Moreau  so  much,  and  effect  a  landing  upon  the  shores  of  England.  '  The 
British  nation,'  he  said,  '  were  convinced  of  this,  for  the  British  admirals, 
who  in  1756  were  consulted  on  the  possibility  of  such  an  event,  had  unani- 
mously declared  that  they  could  not  answer  for  preventing  a  landing,  even 
had  they  ten  times  the  force  they  commanded  ;  and  in  1770  the  same  an- 
swer had  been  given.  The  Duke  of  Argyle  and  some  of  the  most  distin- 
guished British  ofiicers  of  the  period  had  often  declared  their  conviction 
in  Parliament  that  situations  and  conjunctions  might  often  arise  at  sea 
which  would  give  a  hostile  army  every  possible  opportunity  of  landing  in 
England  without  the  British  fleets,  even  were  they  collected  together, 
being  able  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  coast.  The  reason  of  this, '  he  said, 
'  was  very  clear.    The  westerly  winds  and  those  from  the  south  and  south- 


26  MARSHAL  KET. 

His  activity  at  Montreuil  was  unceasing.  Like  Wellington, 
he  would  trust  to  nobody,  but  insisted  on  seeing  everything 
for  himself,  and  knowing  beyond  a  doubt  that  everything  was 
properly  done.  No  man  can  be  great  in  war  or  great  in  any- 
west  blow  from  France  to  England,  and  during  their  prevalence  vessels 
sailing  from  the  ports  of  France  make  good  waj',  while  those  of  England 
cannot  leave  their  ports  ;  thus  the  most  formidable  fleets  are  of  no  use  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  those  winds,  and  an  attempt  might  be  successfully 
made.  A  sudden  cessation  of  wind,'  continued  Ney,  '  might  produce  the 
same  effect  as  a  violent  and  continued  gale  ;  for  if  the  British  fleet  were 
overtaken  in  a  dead  calm,  either  in  the  middle  or  at  the  end  of  a  voyage 
from  one  part  of  the  coast  to  another,  it  would  baffle  the  talents  of  its  offi- 
cers and  render  the  valor  of  its  seamen  of  no  avail.  What  could  be  done 
with  ships  of  the  line  under  such  circumstances  ?  Have  recourse  to  oars  ? 
That  would  be  impracticable.  Use  their  boats  ?  What  chance  would  these 
have  against  our  host  of  gunboats,  peniclws,  and  light  vessels,  armed  and 
equipped  as  they  are  ?  Besides,  the  tides  and  fogs  will  again  increase  our 
chances  of  success.  How  many  of  our  squadrons  are  there  which  have 
escaped  from  the  British  cruisers  in  a  fog  or  during  a  dark  night  ?  Re- 
member how  the  Prince  of  Orange  crossed  the  Channel,  and  that  during 
six  hours  his  fleet  passed  close  to  that  of  James  II.  without  being  perceived. 
The  Earl  of  Dartmouth,  having  ascertained  at  length  that  it  had  sailed, 
bore  up  in  pursuit  of  it ;  but  as  he  began  to  brace  uj)  his  yards  the  wind 
became  more  ahead,  having  veered  to  the  south,  and  he  was  unable  to  in- 
terrupt the  prince's  landing.  The  same  thing  afterward  occurred  to  the 
French  fleet  cruising  off  Brest.  It  suffered  the  ships  under  the  command 
of  Admiral  Anson  to  pass  without  perceiving  them  ;  and  this  distinguished 
oflicer  did  not  know  the  danger  he  had  run  until  his  return  to  England. 
But  these  are  not  our  only  chances.  The  English  are  terror-stricken  at  our 
preparations,  and  the  malcontents  among  them  are  excited  with  hope. 
Such  vessels  as  ours  have  always  terrified  those  islanders.  In  the  reign  of 
Elizabeth  one  of  her  ministers  frankly  declared  that  England  had  never 
been  more  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  an  invasion  than  since  the  King  of 
Spain  had  built  small  boats  similar  to  those  used  by  the  Flemish  and  the 
French.  The  same  description  of  vessels  has  even  more  recently  excited 
the  alarms  of  Boscawen.  This  admiral  knew  the  amount  of  our  force  in 
the  Mediterranean  ;  he  knew  that,  having  been  defeated  in  a  great  naval 
action  on  the  20th  of  November,  1759,  we  were  not  in  a  state  to  attempt 
any  enterprise.  Still,  such  was  the  impression  made  upon  him  by  our  gun- 
boat on  the  coast,  that  on  seeing  a  few  sails  appear  on  the  horizon  he  had 
no  doubt  of  their  forming  a  part  of  an  invading  expedition,  and  he  imme- 
diately stated  his  apprehensions  to  the  king  and  the  government.  In  an 
incredibly  short  space  of  time  all  England  was  in  rumor,  while  the  dreaded 
expedition  turned  out  to  be  nothing  but  a  convoy  of  colliers.'  "  See  also 
"  Lord  Dudley's  Letters,"  p.  37. 


MARSHAL  NET.  27 

thing  unless  lie  adopts  a  rale  of  this  kind.  And  yet  Napier, 
Joniini,  Goodrich,  and  others  say  that  Nej  was  "  notoriously 
indolent."  His  "  Memoirs"  show,  his  whole  career  from  be- 
ginning to  end  shows,  that  no  assertion  could  be  more  false. 
Indeed,  Ney  worked  so  hard  and  required  others  to  work  so 
hard  that  Napoleon  was  compelled  gently  to  remonstrate  with 
him.  He  told  Ney  that  all  men  were  not  so  richly  endowed 
as  he  was,  and  therefore  could  not  stand  so  much  physical  and 
mental  toil.  Ney  neglected  nothing.  He  established  schools 
of  instruction  both  for  officers  and  men  ;  he  drilled  his  sol- 
diers several  hours  daily  ;  his  inspections  were  frequent  and 
thorough  ;  his  discipline  was  rigorous,  yet  tempered  with 
mercy  ;  the  health  and  comfort,  even  the  recreations  *  of  his 
soldiers  received  his  most  careful  attention  ;  every  branch  of 
the  service  was  put  on  the  soundest,  the  most  efficient  foot- 
ing ;  and  it  was  universally  conceded  that  Key's  soldiers  at 
Montreuil  "were  the  very  best  in  the  French  army. 

Amid  his  arduous  labors  Ney  found  time  to  write  a  valu- 
able treatise  on  the  art  of  war,  which  he  modestly  styled 
"  Military  Studies,"  a  work,  indeed,  which  is  everywhere  re' 
garded  as  a  masterpiece  of  its  kind.f 

*  "  The  barraques,  or  wooden  huts,  being  all  built  upon  the  same  model, 
and  perfectly  uniform,  had  the  most  agreeable  appearance.  They  were 
whitewashed  and  divided  into  groups  ;  these  again  were  intersected  by 
streets,  or,  rather,  alleys,  each  bearing  the  name  of  some  distinguished 
soldier  or  of  some  great  battle  won.  In  front  were  avenues  ;  the  parade 
was  surrounded  by  plantations  ;  and  in  the  rear  were  kitchens,  dancing 
rooms,  and  gardens.  .  .  .  Farther  on  were  the  eating  huts,  with  their 
fireplaces  and  benches,  and  racks  for  the  firelocks  and  pegs  for  the  knap- 
sacks."— "  Memoirs." 

f  This  work  has  been  translated  into  English  by  G.  H.  Gaunter,  with  an 
Introduction  by  Major  A.  James,  of  the  British  army,  autlior  of  "  Bat- 
talion Movements,"  "Brigade  Formations,"  etc.  It  is  dedicated  to  the 
"  officers  of  the  British  army."  Major  James  says  :  "  In  the  '  Military 
Studies  of  ^Marshal  Ney  '  we  see  the  hand  of  a  master  ;  like  the  cartoons  of 
Raphael,  they  constitute  a  monument  which  bids  fair  to  be  c^re  peren- 
niiis.  .  .  .  Many  of  his  formations  constitute  the  most  valuable  portion 
of  the  French  regulations,  .  .  .  and  hig  officers  at  Montreuil  were  con- 
fessedly the  best  instructed,  the  most  ready,  and  the  most  intelligent  in  the 
army.  Fas  est  etiam  ab  hoste  doceri.  If  a  military  genius  like  Dundas  or 
the  Duke  of  Elchingcn  appears  once  in  a  century,  their  labors  become  the 


28  MARSHAL  NET. 

On  the  18tli  day  of  May,  1804,  the  army  made  Bonaparte 
Emperor  of  France.  The  Senatus  Considtum  did  not  amount 
to  a  row  of  pins.  Ney  had  been  quite  active  in  getting  up 
and  forwarding  addresses  to  the  First  Consul,  urging  him  to 
assume  the  imperial  purple,  in  order  that  he  might  "  consoli- 
date the  glorious  work  which  he  had  so  auspiciously  begun." 

On  the  19th  day  of  May,  1804,  eighteen  general  officers 
were  made  marshals  of  the  empire.  Ney  was  included  in  this 
"  new  aristocracy,"  as  it  was  popularly  called,  and  it  is  but 
just  to  say  that  no  man  ever  wielded  more  worthily  or  more 
brilliantly  the  "  staff  of  supreme  command." 

Bonaparte's  plans  for  the  invasion  of  England  failed 
through  the  notorious  incompetency  of  the  French  naval  offi- 
cers, and  because  of  the  very  great  competency  of  the  British 
naval  officers.  His  land  preparations  were  most  excellent. 
It  would  have  been  difficult  to  better  them.  Two  of  his  best 
officers,  Ney  and  Soult,  were  in  command  of  the  troops  des- 
tined for  the  English  expedition,  and  they  neglected  nothing 
which  was  calculated  to  insure  the  success  of  the  undertaking. 
Soult,  commanding  at  Boulogne,  was  almost  as  active  as  Ney. 
From  daybreak  to  nightfall  he  was  on  horseback,  inspecting 
his  troops,  superintending  their  various  evolutions,  or  direct- 
ing their  labors  in  the  intrenchments.  Ney's  preparations  for 
the  embarkation  of  his  troops  were  almost  perfect.  I  quote 
from  the  "  Memoirs"  : 

"  The  troops  on  the  coast  received  orders  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  embark  at  a  moment's  notice.  Ney  had 
only  to  see  to  the  exact  execution  of  the  orders  transmitted  by 

property  of  the  world,  and,  like  the  sacred  fire  of  the  temple,  should  be 
religiously  preserved." — Gaunter 's  "  Military  Studies  of  Marshal  Ney." 

"  That  Ney  united  profound  science  to  the  experience  of  a  life  of  active 
warfare  is  placed  beyond  a  doubt  by  the  manuscripts  left  in  his  own  hand- 
writing, containing  his  own  observations  upon  the  various  campaigns  in 
which  he  served,  and  also  his  military  studies  for  the  use  of  his  own  offi- 
cers when  he  commanded  the  camp  at  Montreuil.  To  this  we  may  add 
that  he  first  improved  upon  the  old  system  of  military  tactics  and  founded 
the  system  now  followed  by  the  French  armies." — "  Memoirs." 

And  yet  Napier  and  Jomiui  say  that  Ney  "  was  unlearned  in  the  abstract 
science  ofwar!" 


MARSHAL  NET.  29 

the  minister.  He  distributed  liis  ammunition  and  the  tools 
he  was  to  take  with  him  among  the  several  transports.  He 
then  arranged  the  distribution  of  the  flotilla  ;  he  directed  that 
each  battalion  and  each  company  should  make  themselves 
acquainted  with  the  vessels  assigned  to  them,  and  that  everj 
man  should  be  ready  to  rush  on  board  at  the  very  first  signal. 
But  as  dispatch  necessitates  great  precision  of  movement,  he 
resolved  to  drill  his  troops  into  such  precision  by  making  them 
execute  sham  embarkations.  The  divisions  composing  his 
corps  were  successively  assembled  on  the  shore,  and  by  turns 
escaladed  the  gunboats  in  which  they  were  to  embark.  This 
they  executed  in  the  most  beautiful  style,  and  Ney  was  satis- 
fied with  it  ;  but  the  divisions  had  only  performed  it  sepa- 
rately ;  when  together  they  might  display  less  coolness  and 
^promptitude,  and  he  resolved  to  put  them  to  the  test.  The 
infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery  assumed  their  arms  ;  each 
column  placed  itself  opposite  to  its  own  vessels.  All  were 
formed  into  platoons  for  embarking,  at  a  little  distance  from 
each  other,  and  divided  by  sections.  The  whole,  from  left  to 
right,  were  in  a  jjarallel  line  to  the  anchorage.  A  first  gun 
was  fired  ;  the  general  officers  and  staff  officers  alighted  from 
their  horses  and  placed  themselves  at  the  head  of  the  troops 
which  they  were  respectively  to  lead.  The  drums  had  ceased 
rolling  and  the  men  had  unfixed  their  bayonets.  Everything 
was  ready  and  each  man  prepared.  A  second  gun  was  heard 
nearer  to  them,  and  the  generals  of  divisions  gave  the  word 
of  command  :  '  Prepare  to  embark  !  '  The  brigadier-generals 
received  it,  transmitted  it  to  the  colonels,  and  the  latter  to 
the  officers  under  them.  A  dead  silence  now  succeeded  ;  each 
man  was  attentive  and  motionless,  and  each  controlled  the  in- 
tense excitement  under  which  he  labored.  A  third  gun  gave 
forth  its  thunder,  and  the  word  '  Forward,  columns  !  '  imme- 
diately followed.  Each  soldier  now  yielded  to  an  almost  un- 
controllable emotion.  When  a  last  report  was  heard,  the 
word  '  March  !  '  was  pronounced  ;  it  was  almost  drowned  by 
acclamations  ;  the  columns  immediately  put  themselves  in 
motion  and  got  into  the  boats.  In  ten  minutes  and  a  half 
twenty-five  thousand  men  were  already  07i  hoard.     The  troops 


30  MARSHAL  NET. 

felt  assured  that  they  were  immediately  to  set  sail  ;  they  took 
their  places,  and  were  engaged  in  making  their  quarters  com- 
fortable when  a  shot  was  unexpectedly  fired.  The  drums 
rolled  and  called  the  men  to  arms  ;  they  formed  upon  the 
decks  of  their  respective  boats.  A  fresh  discharge  soon  fol- 
lowed the  first  ;  they  fancied  it  was  the  signal  for  weighing 
anchor,  and  they  received  it  with  cries  of  '  Long  live  the  Em- 
peror !  '  but  it  was  only  an  order  to  land.  They  were  unable 
to  control  the  expression  of  their  disappointment,  which  broke 
forth  in  murmurs.  They  resigned  themselves,  however  ;  and 
scarcely  had  thirteen  mimites  elapsed  hefore  they  were  again 
ujpon  the  heach^  formed  in  line  of  hattle.  The  marshal  now 
saw  that  he  could  depend  upon  his  preparations,  and  calcu- 
late to  a  minute  the  time  his  troops  would  occupy  in  embark- 
ing." 

But  these  splendid  troops  (about  equal,  under  Ney,  to 
Wellington's  army  which  broke  up  at  Bordeaux  in  1814)  * 
were  destined  never  to  cross  the  English  Channel.  Pitt  soon 
stirred  up  a  powerful  coalition  against  France,  and  Bonaparte 
quickly  changed  his  plans.  Indeed,  a  general  European  war 
was  inevitable.  Bonaparte's  restless  and  sinister  ambition  ; 
his  forcible  annexation  of  territory  to  which  he  had  not  the 
shadow  of  a  claim  ;  his  avowed  purpose  to  continue  such 
aggressions  ;  his  dark,  his  ceaseless  intrigues  ;  his  underhand 
system  of  espionage  with  respect  to  other  nations  ;  his  swag- 
gering, noviis  homo  insolence — these  things  were  simply  un- 
bearable, and  they  would  at  no  distant  period  have  produced 
a  general  war  in  Euroj)e  even  if  Pitt  had  not  succeeded  in 
organizing  a  coalition  against  Napoleon. 

In  August,  1805,  the  French  army  suddenly  quitted  the 
coast  and  marched  rapidly  to  the  Austrian  frontier.  Austria 
was  concentrating  her  troops  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube  and 
the  Rhine,  and  the  Russian  forces  were  en  route  for  the  seat 

*  "  Speaking  of  Waterloo,  Wellington  one  day  said  to  two  of  his  general 
officers,  sweeping  the  table  with  his  closed  hand  :  '  Had  I  had  the  army 
that  broke  up  at  Bordeaux  I  should  have  swept  Bonaparte  ofE  the  face  of 
the  earth  in  two  hours." — "Words  on  Wellington,"  Fraser.  "Voice 
from  Waterloo,"  Sergeant-Major  Cotton. 


MARSHAL  NEY.  31 

of  war.  Napoleon  knew  that  his  safety  consisted  in  rapid 
movements  and  in  bold  surprises.  He  was  terrible  in  attack 
and  in  victory,  but  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing,  in  defence 
and  in  defeat.  This  one  fact  must  forever  place  him  at  the 
tail  end  of  great  generals.  He  had  the  best  of  lieutenants — 
Ney,  Soult,  Lannes,  Mnrat,  Bernadotte,  Davoiit.  He  could 
hardly  fail  to  accomplish  his  purposes,  especially  when  con- 
tending with  an  inferior  foe. 

Ney  was  in  command  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  He  left  Mon- 
treuil  on  the  28th  day  of  August,  and  arrived  at  Lauterburg 
on  September  24:th.  "  In  this  short  interval  Ney's  division 
had  executed  a  march  of  more  than  three  hundred  leagues, 
which  was  upward  of  ten  leagues  a  day.  History  has  no  ex- 
ample of  such  rapidity. "  * 

During  this  long  and  toilsome  march  Ney's  arrangements 
and  dispositions  of  every  kind  were  so  complete  that  the  war 
minister  wrote  to  him  that  he  had  "  no  orders  to  give  hitn  ; 
that  he  had  left  nothing  for  him"  (the  war  minister)  "  to 
do."  In  the  operations  leading  up  to  the  capitulation  of 
Ulm  Ney's  troops  bore  no  unimportant  part.  At  Guntz- 
burg  (October  9th)  and  Haslach  (11th)  they  fought  with  a 
courage  and  determination  which  nothing  could  withstand  ; 
which,  indeed,  so  appalled  and  demoralized  the  enemy  that 
he  knew  not  which  way  to  turn.  At  Elchingen  (Ittth)  Ney 
gained  a  glorious  victory.  He  and  "  His  Serene  Highness," 
Prince  Murat,  had  had  a  stiff  quarrel  a  few  days  before,  f 

Murat,  as  the  Emperor's  brother-in-law  and  chief  lieutenant, 
had  given  orders  to  Ney  which  Ney  considered  absurd  and 
very  dangerous  to  the  safety  of  the  troops  and  the  general 
success  of  the  Emperor's  plans.  Indeed,  it  is  now  known  that 
Murat  would  have  almost  ruined  the  grand  army  by  his  ill- 
considered  and  violent  measures  but  for  the  energetic  and  con- 
tinued remonstrances  of  Marshal  Ney.     Ney  again  and  again 

*  "  Memoirs." 

f  "  They  came  very  near  fighting.  .  .  .  Already  had  Ney  written  to 
appoint  a  place  of  meeting,  when,  recollecting  that  he  was  in  the  presence 
of  the  enemy,  he  altered  his  mind  and  resolved  to  bear  that  which  he  could 
not  prevent." — "  Memoirs." 


32  MARSHAL  NET. 

pointed  out  to  tlie  war  minister  and  the  major-general  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  Murat's  false  dispositions,  "  and 
the  Emperor,  at  last  seeing  that  his  communications  had  been 
given  up  to  the  Austrians  bj  Murat's  rashness,  revoked  some 
of  his  arrangements,  and  Ney  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving 
orders  from  the  Grand  Duke  himself"  (Murat)  "  to  re-occupy 
the  positions  whose  importance  he  had  so  vainly  endeavored  to 
point  out."     ("Memoirs.)" 

"  Napoleon,"  says  Thiers  ("  Consulate  and  Empire")  "  co- 
incided entirely  with  Marshals  Ney  and  Lannes  against  Murat, 
and  gave  instructions  for  repairing  immediately  the  egregious 
blunders  *  committed  during  the  preceding  days.  .  .  .  For 
Ney  was  reserved  the  honor  of  executing  in  the  morning 
of  the  14:th,  at  Elchingen,  the  vigorous  operation  which  was 
again  to  put  us  in  possession  of  both  banks  of  the  river. 
This  intrepid  marshal  was  deeply  mortified  by  some  indis- 
creet  expressions   used   by  Murat  in   the  recent  altercation 

*  Napoleon,  in  vaj  opinion,  was  responsible  in  a  great  measure  for  these 
egregious  blunders.  He  didn't  believe  that  Mack  had  the  slightest  idea  of 
crossing  the  Danube  and  cutting  his  way  into  Bohemia  ;  he  was  slow  to 
act  when  his  attention  was  called  to  Murat's  "  blunders,"  and  he  was  too 
far  from  the  scene  of  operations  fully  to  understand  and  appreciate  the 
critical  situation  in  which  that  portion  of  his  army  occupying  the  left 
bank  of  the  Danube  was  placed.  If  Mack  had  possessed  even  middling 
military  talent  he  would  have  crossed  the  Danube,  overthrown  Dupont's 
division  (the  only  one  left  to  oppose  him),  destroyed  Kapoleon's  com- 
munications, and  marched  in  triumph  to  the  Bohemian  mountains.  It 
could  have  been  done  with  the  utmost  ease,  and  it  would  have  been  done, 
in  part  at  least,  but  for  Ney's  vigilance  and  unceasing  protests.  As  it 
Avas,  a  portion  of  the  Austrian  army  "  crossed  the  Danube  on  October  10th 
and  spread  like  a  torrent  over  the  French  communications. "  ("  Memoirs".) 
Dupont's  division  (of  Ney's  corps)  alone  saved  Napoleon  and  the  army  from 
disgrace.  Dupont  fought  a  battle  at  Haslach  v/hich  would  have  done 
honor  to  the  greatest  generals.  Neither  Ney  nor  Wellington  could  have 
shown  more  skill,  firmness,  or  courage.  It  was  a  miracle  that  he  was  not 
overpowered.  After  the  battle  of  Haslach  Napoleon  woke  up  and  "  re- 
paired immediatelj' Murat's  egregious  blunders."  But  suppose  Welling- 
ton or  even  Lord  Hill  had  been  in  command  at  Ulm  1  What  would  have 
become  of  Napoleon  ?  His  famous  "  Campaign  of  Ulm"  reflects  no  credit 
upon  him  whatever.  It  is  easy  to  gain  victories  over  steel-plated  fools,  or 
traitors,  or  both,  like  the  Austrian  General  Mack,  See  Lanf ray's  "  His- 
tory of  Napoleon." 


MARSHAL  KEY.  33 

wliicli  he  had  with  him.  Murat,  as  if  impatient  of  too  long 
arguments,  liad  told  him  that  he  understood  nothing  of  all  the 
plans  that  were  explained  to  him,  and  that  it  was  his  own  cus- 
tom not  to  make  his  till  he  was  facing  the  enemy.  This  was 
the  proud  answer  which  a  man  of  action  might  have  addressed 
to  an  empty  babbler. 

"  Marshal  Ney,  on  horseback,  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
1-ith,  in  full  uniform  and  wearing  his  decorations,  laid  hold  of 
Murat's  arm,  and  shaking  him  violently  before  the  whole  staff 
and  before  the  Emj)eror  himself,  said  haughtily,  '  Come, 
prince,  come  along  with  me  and  make  your  plans  in  face  of 
the  enemy. '  Then,  galloping  to  the  Danube,  he  went,  amid 
a  shower  of  balls  and  grape,  having  the  water  up  to  his  horse's 
belly,  to  direct  tlie  perilous  operation  assigned  to  him.  This 
operation  consisted  in  repairing  the  bridge,  of  which  nothing 
was  left  but  the  piles,  without  flooring  ;  passing  it  ;  crossing 
a  small  meadow  that  lay  between  the  Danube  and  the  foot  of 
the  eminence,  then  making  himself  master  of  the  village,  with 
the  convent  of  Elchingen,  which  rose  amphitheatrically,  and 
was  guarded  by  twenty  thousand  men  and  a  formidable  artil- 
lery. It  was,  indeed,  an  extraordinary,  difficult,  and  perilous 
task  ;  but  Marshal  IS  ey  was  fully  equal  to  the  emergency. 

' '  Undaunted  by  all  the  obstacles  which  presented  themselves, 
he  ordered  an  aide-de-camp  of  General  Loison  and  a  sapper  to 
lay  hold  of  the  first  plank  and  to  carry  it  to  the  piles  of  the 
bridge  for  the  purpose  of  re-establishing  the  passage  under 
the  fire  of  the  Austrians.  The  brave  sapper  had  a  leg  carried 
away  by  a  grape-shot,  but  his  place  was  immediately  supplied. 
One  plank  was  first  thrown  in  the  form  of  flooring,  then  a 
second,  and  a  third.  Having  finished  one  length,  they  j^ro- 
ceeded  to  the  next,  till  they  had  covered  the  last  piles  under  a 
murderous  fire  of  small  arms,  poured  upon  the  laborers  by 
skilful  marksmen  on  the  opposite  bank. ' ' 

Key  crossed  the  bridge  only  to  encounter  fresh  difficulties  ; 
but  these,  instead  of  dampening,  served  but  to  increase  the 
ardor  and  determination  of  himself  and  his  men.  He  marched 
on  from  victory  to  victory  until  he  "  gloriously  reconquered 
the  left  bank,"  shut  up  Mack  and  his  army  in  Ulm,  and  vir- 


34  XARSHAL  NEY. 

tually  forced  them  to  one  of  the  most  ignominious  surrenders 
to  be  found  in  the  history  of  war.*  The  Emperor  freely 
acknowledged  the  value  of  Ney's  services  by  according  to  his 
corps  the  place  of  honor  in  the  final  surrender  of  the  Austrian 
army  and  in  the  bulletin  announcing  the  victory. f 

After  the  capitulation  Ney  was  sent  to  the  Tyrol,  to 
"  drive  from  the  mountain  fastnesses  the  Austrian  forces 
there  assembled  under  the  Archduke  John  and  the  Prince  of 
Rohan.  By  a  series  of  masterly  movements,  the  enemy,  oc- 
cupying positions  hitherto  considered  impregnable,  were  de- 
feated at  every  point,  and  barely  escaped  total  destruction. 
The  Archduke  John  retreated  in  great  confusion  to  Vienna, 
his  army  disheartened  and  demoralized  by  a  succession  of  dis- 
asters, and  in  the  beginning  of  December,  Ney,  having  ac- 
complished with  the  most  brilliant  completeness  the  purpose 
of  his  detachment,  marched  to  Salzbourg  to  communicate  with 
the  main  body  of  the  army."     (Goodrich,  Thiers,  Alison.) 

Ney  was  not  at  Austerlitz.  lie  was  doing  better  work  in 
the  Tyrol.  At  Jena,  Ney  was  simply  superb.  Some  histo- 
rians say  he  was  rash  ;  but  war  was  Ney's  trade,  and  he  was 
master  of  his  trade.  What  would  have  been  rash  in  others 
was  not  rash  in  him.  A  giant  can  easily  do  many  things 
which  a  pigmy  may  not  attempt.  Not  unfrequently  Ney,  by 
his  very  audacity,  united  as  it  was  with  perfect  poise  and 
calmness  amid  the  greatest  dangers,  and  a  consummate  knowl- 
edge of  his  art,  was  enabled  to  gain  victories  which  he  clearly 
could  not  have  gained  by  a  more  timid  and  circumspect  course. 

*  Lanfrey  gives  Ney  the  highest  praise  for  the  skill  and  judgment  which 
he  uniformly  displayed  throughout  the  campaign. 

f  "  It  is  from  this  glorious  action  that  Marshal  Ney's  title  of  Duke  of 
Elchingen  is  taken.  He  exposed  his  person  without  hesitation  through- 
out the  day,  and  seemed  even  to  court  death  ;  but  fate  reserved  him  for 
greater  and  more  melancholy  destinies." — Jomini. 

"  Dressed  in  full  uniform,  Ney  was  everywhere  to  be  seen  at  the  head 
of  the  columns  leading  the  soldiers  to  the  conflict,  or  rallying  such  as  were 
staggering  under  the  close  and  murderous  fire  of  the  Austrians. " — Ali- 
son's "  History  of  Europe," 

Ney  was  created  Duke  of  Elchingen  March  19th,  1808.  The  honor,  it 
strikes  me,  was  rather  long  deferred,  as  the  battle  was  fought  October 
14th,  1805. 


MARSHAL  NET.  35 

Ney's  attacks  at  the  battle  of  Jena  were,  it  is  true,  exceed- 
ingly bold,  but  they  were  also  exceedingly  effective.  No  one 
can  doubt  that  Key,  by  his  fearless,  rapid,  and  vigorous  move- 
ments, cou]3led  with  his  matchless  skill  on  the  field  of  battle, 
greatly  contributed  to  the  success  of  the  day.  There  was  not 
a  general  in  the  French  army,  Bonaparte  included  (or  in  the 
English  army),  who  could  have  done  what  Ney  did  on  that 
memorable  day.  With  a  mere  handful  of  soldiers  he  success- 
fully defended  himself  against  an  army  which  no  other  man 
would  have  thought  of  resisting.  He  was  attacked  by  the 
whole  Prussian  cavalry,  justly  celebrated  as  the  finest  in 
Europe  ;  but  after  repeated  and  desperate  charges,  Ney's  two 
weak  squares,  though  suffering  severely,  remained  unbroken. 
As  soon  as  reinforcements  arrived  Ney  coolly  formed  his 
men  again  into  column,  marched  straight  upon  Vierzehn- 
Ileiligen,  the  centre  of  the  enemy's  position,  and  after  an 
obstinate  conflict  captured  it.  Napoleon,  who  at  first  was 
displeased  at  Ney's  seeming  impetuosity,  was  highly  delighted 
when  he  saw  his  invincible  marshal  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
enemy's  lines.  The  Austrians  were  dismayed  and  confound- 
ed. They  knew  that  such  soldiers  under  such  a  leader  could 
not  be  whipped.* 

On  the  8th  day  of  November  the  great  fortress  of  Magde- 
burg, by  far  the  most  important  of  the  Prussian  fortresses, 

*  General  Jomini  says  that  at  Ulm,  Jena,  and  some  other  places  he  was 
Marshal  Ney's  ''providence.''  Tliis  is  a  piece  of  insufferable  vanity  on 
the  part  of  this  dilettante  warrior.  He  was  a  splendid  fighter  on  paper, 
but  not  once  did  he  distinguish  himself  on  the  field  of  battle.  Jomini  was 
chief  of  Ney's  staff,  but  Ney  seldom  consulted  him  as  to  his  military 
operations.  Now  and  then  he  would  ask  Jomini's  opinion  about  some 
particular  plan  or  movement,  but  he  invariably  fell  back  upon  his  own 
sound  judgment.  Bonaparte  often  held  war  consultations  with  Berthier, 
his  chief  of  staff  ;  but  no  one  will  for  a  moment  suppose  that  Berthier  was 
Napoleon's  "  providence." 

At  Ulm,  it  is  well  known,  Ney  rejected  the  advice  of  his  entire  staff — 
Jomini  included — and  gained  his  great  victory  by  carrying  out  his  own 
plans.  It  can  be  proved  by  the  official  records  that  Jomini  was  not  even 
acquainted  with  them. 

Jomini  Ney's  "providence!"  "In  cornu  tauri  parvulus  quondam 
culex  consedit." 


36  MARSHAL  NET. 

containing  a  garrison  of  twenty-two  thousand  men,  eight  hun- 
dred pieces  of  cannon,  and  immense  magazines,  surrendered 
to  Key,  with  a  greatly  inferior  force,  and  almost  without  re- 
sistance. Ney  swore  a  little,  made  great  threats,  threw  a  few 
bombs  into  the  town,  and  the  frightened  garrison  capitulated. 
Key's  passage  of  the  Vistula  and  capture  of  Thorn,  despite 
almost  insuperable  obstacles,  was  fully  equal  in  daring  and 
skill  to  Wellington's  passage  of  the  Douro  and  capture  of 
Oporto — a  feat  which,  when  reported  to  Napoleon,  caused 
him  to  exclaim,  "  Wellington  is  a  good  general  !" 

At  Soldau,  Ney  won  imperishable  laurels.  "  The  village 
of  Soldau  is  situated  amid  a  marsh  impassable  except  by  a 
single  causeway,  from  seven  to  eight  hundred  fathoms  in 
length,  resting  sometimes  upon  the  ground,  sometimes  upon 
bridges,  which  the  enemy  had  taken  care  to  break  down. 
Six  thousand  Prussians,  with  cannon,  guarded  this  causeway. 
A  first  battery  enfiladed  it  longitudinally  ;  a  second,  estab- 
lished on  a  spot  judiciously  chosen  in  the  marsh,  took  it 
obliquely.  Ney,  with  the  Sixty-ninth  and  the  Seventy-sixth, 
advanced  impetuously  along  it.  They  threw  planks  over  the 
broken  bridges,  they  carried  the  batteries  at  a  run,  they  over- 
turned "with  the  bayonet  the  infantry  drawn  up  in  column  on 
the  causeway,  and  entered  the  village  of  Soldau  pell-mell  with 
the  fugitives.  A  most  obstinate  conflict  with  the  Prussians 
took  place  then.  The  French  had  to  storm  Soldau  house 
by  house.  This  was  not  accomplished  without  unparalleled 
efforts,  and  not  till  nightfall.  But  at  this  moment  the  gal- 
lant General  Lestocq,  rallying  his  columns  in  rear  of  Soldau, 
made  his  soldiers  swear  to  recover  the  lost  post.  The  Prus- 
sians, treated  by  the  Russians  since  Jena  as  the  Austrians  had 
been  treated  since  Ulm,  determined  to  avenge  their  honor, 
and  to  prove  that  they  were  not  inferior  in  bravery  to  any 
nation.  And  so  they  did.  Four  times,  from  seven  in  the 
evening  till  midnight,  they  attacked  Soldau  with  the  bayonet 
and  four  times  they  were  repulsed.  At  last  they  retired, 
having  sustained  an  immense  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  and 
prisoners"  (Thiers). 

Many  portions  of  the  army  suffered  greatly  in  their  winter 


MARSHAL  NEY.  37 

cantonments  ;  but  Ney's  corps  was  well  cared  for.  Thiers 
sajs  : 

"  The  indefatigable  Ney  had,  by  his  industry  and  boldness, 
opened  a  source  of  abundance  for  himself.  He  had  approached 
very  near  to  the  German  country,  which  is  extremely  rich  ; 
nay,  he  had  even  ventured  to  the  banks  of  the  Pregel.  Sally- 
ing forth  on  daring  expeditions,  he  placed  his  soldiers  on 
sledges  when  it  froze  and  went  foraging  to  the  very  gates  of 
Konigsberg,  which,  indeed,  he  had  once  well-nigh  surprised 
and  carried." 

Napoleon,  Thiers  says,  reprimanded  Ney  for  these  bold  in- 
cursions ;  and  when  his  advanced  guard  was  attacked  by  the 
Russians,  "  Napoleon  conceived  at  tirst  that  it  was  the  excur- 
sions of  Marshal  Ney  which  had  brought  reprisals  upon  him. 
£ut  he  was  soon  enlightened  concerning  the  real  cause  of  the 
appearance  of  the  Russians,  and  he  could  not  but  discover  that 
they  meditated  a  serious  enterprise,  having  a  totally  different 
aim  from  that  of  contending  for  the  cantonments. ' '  The  fact 
is,  Marshal  Ney's  "  bold  excursions"  were  of  immense  bene- 
fit to  Napoleon's  army.  They  saved  it  from  surprise,  and, 
scattered  as  it  was,  from  probable  defeat. 

Ney  was  so  active  and  enterprising  that  he  detected  the  first 
movements  of  the  enemy  and  promptly  communicated  them 
to  Bernadotte  and  Soult,  who  were  near  him,  and  to  Napo- 
leon. But  for  this  timely  and  certain  intelligence  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  Bonaparte's  army  would,  in  all  probability, 
have  been  cut  off  and  captured — certainly  it  would  have  been 
exposed  to  very  great  peril.  Thiers  frankly  admits  this. 
Ney  made  some  mistakes  ;  but  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
he  ra2iOiQ  fewer  mistakes  than  any  general  of  his  time. 

Napoleon  knew  what  Ney  was  worth,  or  he  would  not  have 
placed  him,  as  he  always  did,  in  the  most  important  and  re- 
sponsible positions.  In  the  present  instance  Bernadotte,  even 
with  the  early  intelligence  which  Ney  gave  him,  was  barely 
able  to  save  himself  from  destruction.     I  quote  from  Thiers  : 

"  The  troops  of  Marshal  Bernadotte,  scattered  as  far  as 
Ebling,  near  the  Frische  Haff,  had  great  distances  to  go  in 
order   to   rally  ;    and   if   General   Benningsen   had   marched 


38  MARSHAL  NET. 

rapidly  he  might  have  surprised  and  destroyed  them  before 
their  concentration  was  effected." 

Eylau  was  a  drawn  battle.  Nej  saved  Bonaparte  from  an 
absolute  and  serious  defeat,  Lestocq  would  have  ruined  him  ; 
but  Ney  struck  Lestocq  almost  as  soon  as  Lestocq  struck 
Napoleon.  No  thanks  to  Napoleon  for  Ney's  timely  arrival 
at  Eylau.  It  was  due  to  Ney's  irrepressible  energy  and  to  a 
warlike  instinct  which  never  deceived  him.* 

Fezensac,  in  his  ' '  Memoirs, ' '  says  : 

"  Selon  M.  Thiers,  Napoleon  envoya  dans  la  soiree  du  1 
plusieurs  officiers  aux  Marechaux  Davout  et  Ney  pour  les 
ramener  sur  le  champ  de  bataille.  C'est  une  erreur  en  ce  qui 
concerne  le  Marechal  Ney  ;  il  ne  recut  aucun  avis,  et  ne  se 
doutait  pas  de  la  bataille  quand  je  le  joignis  le  8  a  deux  heures, 
dans  la  direction  de  Kreutzbourg. " 

Ney's  retreat  from  Deppen  was  a  marvellous  feat.  It  has 
few  equals.     Let  Plotlio,  the  Russian  historian,  describe  it  : 

"  The  French,  consummate  masters  in  the  art  of  war,  re- 
solved  on  that  day  this  very  difficult  problem — to  execute  a 
retreat  that  is  become  indispensable,  in  the  face  of  an  enemy 
who  is  much  stronger  and  urgently  pressing,  and  to  render  it 
as  little  prejudicial  as  possible.  They  extricated  themselves 
from  the  situation  with  the  utmost  skill.  The  calmness  and 
order  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  rapidity  shown  by  Ney's  corps 
in  assembling  at  the  signal  of  three  cannon  shot  :  the  coolness 
and  attentive  circumspection  with  which  it  executed  its  re- 
treat, during  which  it  opposed  a  resistance  renewed  at  every 
step,  and  knew  how  to  avail  itself  in  a  masterly  manner  of 
every  position— all  this  proved  the  talent  of  the  captain  who 
commanded  the  French  and  the  habit  of  war  carried  by  them 
to  perfection  as  strongly  as  the  finest  dispositions  and  the 
most  scientific  execution  of  an  offensive  operation  could  have 
done.  For  attacking  with  success,  as  well  as  for  opposing  a 
regular  resistance  in  a  retreat,  there  are  required  rare  qualities, 
virtues  difficult  to  practise  ;  and  yet  it  is  necessary  that  all  these 

*  Thiers  says  that  Napoleon,  the  evening  before  the  battle,  dispatched 
several  officers  to  Marshal  Ney  to  bring  him  to  the  field  of  battle,  etc. 
This  is  positively  untrue.     Ney  received  no  order  from  Napoleon. 


MAK^IIAL  XKY. 
(From  an  Engraving  by  H.  R.  Ctjuk.  I.SIT.) 


MARSHAL  NET.  39 

should  be  combined  in  the  same  person  to  form  the  great  cap- 
tain." 

At  Friedland,  Ney  occupied  the  post  of  honor,  and  more 
than  met  the  expectations  of  Napoleon.  The  Emperor  ap- 
pointed him  to  commence  the  action.  The  Russians  were 
huddled  together  in  an  elbow  of  the  river  Alle.  They  had 
nobody  to  command  them,  but  they  were  ready  to  fight  and 
die.  Napoleon  surveyed  them  with  attention.  Surrounded 
by  his  lieutenants,  he  "  explained  to  them  the  part  which  each 
had  to  act  in  that  battle.  Grasping  the  arm  of  Marshal  Ney, 
and  pointing  to  Friedland,  the  bridges,  the  Russians  crowded 
together  in  front,  '  Yonder  is  the  goal,'  said  he  ;  '  march  to  it 
without  looking  about  you  ;  break  into  that  thick  mass, 
whatever  it  costs  you  ;  enter  Friedland  ;  take  the  bridges,  and 
give  yourself  no  concern  about  what  may  happen  on  your 
right,  on  your  left,  or  on  your  rear.  The  army  and  I  shall 
be  there  to  attend  to  that. '  Ney,  boiling  with  ardor,  proud 
of  the  formidable  task  assigned  him,  set  out  at  a  gallop  to 
arrange  his  troops  before  the  wood  of  Sortlack.  Struck  with 
his  martial  attitude,  Napoleon,  addressing  Marshal  Mortier, 
said,  '  That  man  is  a  lion.'  "     (Thiers.) 

In  1808  Ney  was  sent  into  Spain,  but  the  Spanish  war  did 
not  suit  him.  He  opposed  it  in  council  from  beginning  to 
end  ;  and  had  Napoleon  listened  to  him,  he  would  have 
avoided  one  of  the  greatest  errors  of  his  life.  Ney  foresaw 
nothing  but  disaster,  yet  he  labored  in  general  as  faithfully  in 
this  new  field  as  if  success  were  absolutely  assured.  A  French 
officer  has  related  a  singular  scene  which  occurred  at  Madrid  : 

"  After  a  grand  review  at  Madrid,  the  Emperor  entered 
the  room  where  Ney  and  many  other  officers  were  assembled. 
He  was  in  the  best  of  spirits,  from  some  favorable  dispatches 
which  he  had  just  received.  '  Everything  goes  on  well,'  said 
he.  '  Romana  will  be  reduced  in  a  fortnight  ;  the  English 
are  defeated,  and  will  be  unable  to  advance.  In  three  months 
this  war  will  be  finished.'  None  of  the  other  generals  ven- 
tured to  reply,  bat  the  Duke  of  Elchingen  shook  his  head, 
and  with  a  dissatisfied  look,  said  :  '  Sire,  the  war  has  lasted 
long  already,  and  I  cannot  perceive,  like  you,  that  our  affairs 


40  MABSRAL  NET. 

are  much  improved.  These  people  are  obstinate  ;  even  their 
women  and  children  fight  ;  they  massacre  our  men  in  detail. 
To-day  we  cut  the  enemy  in  pieces,  to-morrow  we  have  to  op- 
pose another  twice  as  numerous.  It  is  not  an  army  we  have 
to  fight  ;  it  is  a  whole  nation.  I  see  no  end  to  the  business. ' 
While  he  was  speaking,  the  Emperor  regarded  him  with  a 
fixed  look.  When  ISTey  had  ceased,  he  turned  to  the  other 
officers  and  said  :  '  This  country  is  a  Vendee — but  have  I  not 
subdued  Vendee  ?  The  Calabrians  were  formerly  insurgents  ; 
wherever  there  are  mountains  there  will  be  insurrections  ;  but 
now  the  kingdom  of  Naples  is  peaceable  enough.  Here  the 
people  are  instigated  to  resistance  by  the  clergy  ;  but  the 
Romans  subdued  them  ;  so  did  the  Moors  ;  and  they  are  not 
to  be  compared  with  their  ancestors.  I  will  strengthen  the 
government ;  1  will  bind  the  grandees  to  my  interest,  and  fire 
on  the  rabble.  If  Julius  Caesar  had  been  daunted  by  difficul- 
ties, would  he  have  conquered  Gaul  ?  The  population  is  said 
to  be  against  us  ;  this  Spain  is  but  a  solitude — not  five  inhab- 
itants to  a  square  league  !  But  let  the  question  be  decided  by 
numbers.  I  will  bring  all  Europe  over  the  Pyrenees."  ("  Court 
and  Camp  of  Bonaparte.")* 

At  Soria,  Napoleon  blamed  Ney  for  his  circumspection — a 
queer  charge  to  bring  against  him  ;  but  the  truth  is,  Napoleon 
himself  was  in  error.  Ney  was  right.  A  careful  study  of 
Napoleon's  orders  to  Ney,t  and  of  the  whole  situation,  will 

*  Ney,  of  course,  was  riglit,  as  the  sequel  proved.  Napoleon  was  a 
very  poor  judge  of  human  nature.  He  could  easily  detect  talent,  cun- 
ning, and  selfishness,  but  of  the  higher,  nobler  part  of  man's  nature  he 
knew  little  or  nothing.  This  marked  defect  in  his  understanding  was  one 
of  the  prime  causes  of  his  ruin. 

f  "  Napoleon's  order  to  Ney  was  inexact  and  ill  conceived,  and  the 
manoeuvre  which  the  marshal  was  instructed  to  perform  was  of  a  most 
hazardous  description.  The  perplexity  which  he  has  been  reproached  for 
having  felt  on  this  occasion  does  as  much  honor  to  his  coup  d'a'il  as  to  his 
patriotism.  .  .  .  The  order,  dated  at  four  p.m.,  November  21st,  stated 
that  the  battle  was  to  take  place  at  Calahorra.  Ney  could  not,  at  the  ear- 
liest, have  received  it  until  five  or  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  22d, 
and  it  must  then  have  appeared  too  late  to  begin  a  march  of  twenty 
leagues  in  order  to  take  part  in  a  battle  tlmt  loould  be  over  before  Tie  could 
start." — Lanfrey's  "  History  of  Napoleon." 


MARSHAL  NET.  41 

show  that  Ney  did  precisely  what  any  good,  prudent  general 
ought  to  have  done. 

"Napoleon,"  says  Marshal  Grouchy,  "oftentimes  gave 
vague  and  ambiguous  orders,  so  that  if  anything  went  wrong 
he  could  easily  throw  the  blame  upon  some  of  his  lieutenants. 
If  Ney  had  had  command  of  the  troops  at  Corunna,  Sir  John 
Moore's  army  would  not  have  gotten  off  so  easily."* 

I^^apoleon  seems  originally  to  have  intended  that  Ney  should 

*  Colonel  Napier,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Peninsular  War,"  relates  an  inci- 
dent which^refiects  the  higliest  credit  both  upon  Marshal  Soult  and  Marshal 
Ney.  It  is  a  silver  lining  to  the  murky  clouds  of  war.  Major  Napier,  Col- 
onel Napier's  brother,  was  wounded  and  made  prisoner  at  the  battle  of 
Corunna.  He  was  reported  killed.  "  The  morning  after  the  battle,"  says 
Napier,  "  the  Duke  of  Dalmatia  (Soult),  being  apprised  of  Major  Napier's 
situation,  had  him  conveyed  to  good  quarters,  and  with  a  kindness  and 
consideration  very  uncommon  wrote  to  Napoleon,  desiring  that  his  pris- 
oner might  not  be  sent  to  France,  which  (from  the  system  of  refusing- 
exchanges)  would  have  been  destructive  to  his  professional  prospects. 
The  marshal  also  obtained  for  the  drummer  (who  had  saved  him  from 
being  murdered  by  a  French  soldier)  the  decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 
The  events  of  the  war  obliged  Soult  to  depart  in  a  few  days  from  Corunna, 
but  he  recommended  Major  Napier  to  the  attention  of  Marshal  Ney,  and  that 
marshal  also  treated  his  prisoner  with  the  kindness  of  a  friend  rather  than 
the  rigor  of  an  enemy,  for  he  quartered  him  with  the  French  Consul,  sup- 
plied him  with  money,  gave  him  a  general  invitation  to  his  house  on  all 
public  occasions,  and  refrained  from  sending  him  to  France.  Nor  did 
Marshal  Ney's  kindness  stop  there  ;  for  when  the  flag  of  truce  arrived,  and 
he  became  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  Major  Napier's  family,  he 
suddenly  waived  all  forms,  and  instead  of  answering  the  inquiry  by  a  cold 
intimation  of  the  captive's  existence,  sent  him,  and  with  him  the  few 
English  prisoners  taken  in  the  battle,  at  once  to  England,  merely  demand- 
ing that  none  should  serve  until  regularly  exchanged.  I  should  not  have 
dwelt  thus  long  upon  the  private  adventures  of  an  officer,  but  that  grati- 
tude demands  a  public  acknowledgment  of  such  generosity,  and  the  de- 
mand is  rendered  imperative  by  the  after  misfortunes  of  Marshal  Ney. 
That  brave  and  noble-minded  man's  fate  is  but  too  well  known.  He  who 
had  fought  five  hundred  battles  for  France— not  one  against  her— was 
shot  as  a  traitor  !  Could  the  bitterest  enemy  of  the  Bourbons  have 
more  strongly  marked  the  difference  between  their  interests  and  those  of 
the  nation  ?" 

A  noble  tribute  from  a  noble  man.  No  wonder  the  English  people  were 
opposed  to  Ney's  execution.  No  wonder  Wellington  thought  that  his 
conduct  as  to  Ney  would  be  made  the  subject  of  parliamentary  investiga- 
tion. 


42  MARSHAL  NET. 

pursue  tlie  English  to  the  coast,  but  unavoidable  circumstances 
prevented  him  from  carrying  out  this  intention.  Soult  was 
nearer  the  English,  and  he  was  put  in  command  of  the  army. 
Ney  behaved  very  generously  toward  him.  He  offered  to 
join  him  at  once  ;  but  Soult  was  jealous  of  Ney,  and  after 
considerable  hesitation  and  delay,  requested  him  to  send  him 
one  of  his  divisions  when  it  was  too  late  for  that  division  to 
be  of  any  use  to  him.  Ney  and  Soult  together  could  have 
destroyed  the  Marquis  de  la  Eomana  ;  but  Soult  deceived 
J^ey,  broke  his  promises,  and  refused  to  act  with  him.  l^ey's 
dispositions  were  good,  but  he  could  do  nothing  without  the 
co-operation  of  Soult.  Napoleon,  away  off  in  Austria  or  Ger- 
many, knew  little  about  the  real  condition  of  affairs  in  Spain, 
and  had  most  unwisely  placed  Marshals  Ney  and  Mortier  under 
the  command  of  Soult.  He  afterward  deeply  regretted  this 
act.  He  blamed  Soult  severely  for  his  conduct  toward 
Ney,*  and  authorized  Ney  to  return  to  France  to  relieve 
him  from  the  embarrassing  position  in  which  he  had  been 
placed. 

During  Ney's  occupation  of  Galicia  and  the  Asturias,  he 
defeated  the  organized  forces,  put  down  most  of  the  insurgent 
bands,  and  governed  the  country  with  a  firm  yet  not  ungentle 
hand.  He  had  a  sea  of  troubles  to  contend  against.  The 
English  constantly  menaced  the  coast  (he  had  more  than  one 
hundred  leagues  to  guard),  and  the  guerilla  parties,  composed 
of  men,  women  and  children,  attacked  him  fiercely  from 
every  quarter  and  in  every  imaginable  way.  This  was  a  new 
species  of  warfare,  to  which  Ney  was  unaccustomed,  and  for 
awhile  it  greatly  annoyed  him.  But  he  finally  reduced  the 
country  to  something  like  orderly  submission,  and,  what  was 
still  better,  succeeded  by  his  kindness  and  humanity  in  gain- 

*"  Soult  behaved  toward  Ney  in  a  manner  that  no  proud  man  for- 
gives. ' ' — Lanfrey. 

The  truth  is,  Soult  was  exceedingly  jealous  of  Ney  ;  but  Ney,  though 
very  angry  with  him,  and  taking  little  pains  to  conceal  his  anger,  treated 
him  with  great  magnanimity.  "  Soult's  army  came  from  Oporto  ex- 
hausted by  fatigue,  their  clothes  torn  in  shreds,  without  shoes,  baggage, 
ammunition,  or  artillery."  Ney  supplied  all  their  wants,  and  afterward 
took  care  of  Soult's  sick  and  wounded. 


MARSHAL  NET.  43 

ing  no  small  share  of  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  people 
whom  he  governed.* 

If  Nej  had  literally  carried  out  l^apoleon's  instructions  he 
could  not  have  succeeded  in  Galicia.  He  was  cut  off  from 
the  other  troops,  and  he  was  compelled  to  exercise  his  best 
judgment  as  to  his  military  operations  or  fail  utterly  in  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purpose.     Lanfrey  says  : 

"  The  Emperor  had  instructed  jSTey  to  fortify  himself  at 
Lugo.  .  .  .  Lugo,  no  doubt,  was  the  geograjjJiical  centre  of 
Galicia,  but  it  was  far  from  being  its  centre  from  the  point  of 
view  of  population,  riches,  influence,  or  political  importance. 
Corunna  united  all  these  conditions,  .  .  .  and  as  the  danger 
which  chiefly  threatened  us  in  Galicia  was  to  be  sought,  not 
in  the  centre,  but  along  the  seaboard  of  that  province,  where 
we  had  perpetually  to  defend  ourselves  against  the  landing  of 
the  English,  it  may  be  said  that,  even  from  a  strategic  point 
of  view,  Ney  acted  very  wisely  in  preferring  to  station  him- 
self at  Corunna  rather  than  at  Lugo." 

In  1810  Ney  acted  under  Massena  in  the  invasion  of  Por- 
tugal, f  and  if  Massena  had  followed  Ney's  advice  he  would 
not  have  left  Portugal,  as  he  did  leave  it,  a  disgraced  and 
broken-hearted  man.  Ney  captured  the  strong  fortresses  of 
Ciudad  Rodrigo  and  Almeida,  and  at  the  battle  of  the  Coa, 
on  July  24th,  defeated  General  Crawfurd,  of  the  English 
army.  If  General  Montbrun  had  obeyed  Ney's  order  to  seize 
the  bridge  over  the  Coa  (the  only  line  of  retreat  open  to  the 
English),  the  greater  part  of  Crawfurd's  division  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  captured.     At  Busaco,    on   the   27th, 


*  "  Galicia  and  Salamanca,  provinces  particularly  hostile  to  the  French, 
have  nevertheless  preserved  the  recollections  of  Ney's  integrity  while  gov- 
ernor of  them.  One  only  spoil  of  a  conquered  country  did  Ney  bequeatli 
to  his  descendants  :  this  is  a  relic  of  St.  James  of  Compostello,  with  which 
the  monks  of  St.  Jago  presented  him,  in  testimony  of  his  humanity  toward 
them." — "  Memoirs  of  Ney." 

f  "  I  have  been  informed  that  Marshal  Ney  resumed  the  command  of 
the  Sixth  Corps  under  the  impression  that  he  was  to  conduct  the  enter- 
prise against  Portugal,  but  that  the  intrigues  of  Marshal  Berthier,  to 
whom  he  was  obnoxious,  frustrated  his  hopes. "  (Napier's  "Peninsular 
War."     See  also  Thiers'  "  History  of  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire.)" 


44  MARSHAL  NET. 

Massena  met  with  a  signal  repulse.  Ney,  who  was  in  ad- 
vance, was  very  anxious  to  attack  the  English  two  days  be- 
fore, but  Massena  would  not  permit  him  to  do  so. 

Clinton  ("  History  of  the  Peninsular  War")  says  :  "  Ney,  on 
the  25th,  observing  that  the  heights  of  Busaco  were  yet  only 
half  occupied,  and  that  the  allies  were  moving  up  in  some  dis- 
order, sent  off  to  Massena,  who  was  about  ten  miles  in  the 
rear,  to  obtain  permission  for  an  immediate  attack.  But  Mas- 
sena kept  Ney's  messenger  waiting  two  hours,  and  then  re- 
plied that  no  action  could  take  place  before  his  own  arrival  at 
the  front.  The  French  thus  lost  the  opportunity  of  almost 
certain  victory,  and  when  Massena  came  up  at  noon  on  the 
following  day  (the  26th)  the  allies  were  securely  posted  along 
the  sierra. ' ' 

Napier,  speaking  of  Ney's  eagerness  to  attack  on  the  25th, 
says  :  "  Ney,  whose  military  glance  was  magical,  perceived  in 
an  instant  that  the  position — a  crested,  not  a  table  mountain — 
could  not  hide  any  strong  reserve  ;  that  it  was  scarcely  half 
occupied,  and  that  the  allied  troops  were  moving  from  one 
place  to  another  with  that  sort  of  confusion  which  generally 
attends  the  first  taking  up  of  unknown  ground.  He  therefore 
desired  to  make  an  early  and  powerful  attack  ;  but  Ney's 
aide-de-camp  was  told  at  headquarters  that  everything  must 
await  Massena's  arrival.  .  .  .  Thus  a  most  favorable  oppor- 
tunity was  lost  ;  for  the  first  division  of  the  allies,  although 
close  at  hand,  was  not  upon  the  ridge  ;  Leith's  troops  were  in 
the  act  of  passing  the  Mondego,  and  Hill  was  still  behind  the 
Alva.  Scarcely  twenty-five  thousand  men  were  actually  in 
line,  and  there  were  great  intervals  between  the  divisions." 

When  Massena  arrived  at  Busaco,  Wellington's  position  was 
so  strong  that  few  ofiicers  of  either  army  believed  that  Mas- 
sena would  be  foolish  enough  to  attack  it.  Ney,  in  a  council 
of  war,  held  on  the  evening  of  the  25th,  frankly  told  Massena 
that  two  days  before  the  heights  could  have  been  captured, 
but  that  now  they  were  almost  impregnable.  But  Massena 
was  determined  to  fight,  and  nothing  could  stop  him.  He 
failed,  as  Ney  and  others  predicted  that  he  would.  A  few 
loose  historians  allege  that  Ney  gave  Massena  but  a  half- 


3IABSHAL  NET.  45 

hearted  support.  This  is  false.  !N"ey's  attacks  were  as  bold 
and  determined  as  any  that  he  ever  made.*  JSTo  one  could 
have  captured  those  heights.  "Wellington  retired  behind  the 
formidable  lines  of  Torres  Vedras,  and  in  the  following  March 
Massena  was  compelled  to  make  a  disastrous  retreat.  Nej 
commanded  the  rear-guard,  and  by  his  marvellous  energy 
and  ability  saved  the  French  army  from  complete  destruc- 
tion.! 

In  the  very  beginning  of  the  retreat  Ney  adroitly  deceived 
Wellington,  and  thus  gained  time  for  the  army  to  get  a  run- 
ning start  of  the  great  duke.  The  marshal's  movements  were 
so  bold,  so  mysterious,  so  happily  conceived,  that  Wellington 
thought,  as  N'ey  wished  him  to  think,  he  was  meditating  a  return 
to  Torres  Vedras.  This  uncertainty  as  to  Ney's  movements 
caused  Wellington  to  suspend  offensive  operations  for  several 
hours.  Meanwhile,  the  French  army  was  marching  rapidly  to 
the  rear.  At  Pombal,  Wellington  overtook  Ney,  and  a  con- 
siderable combat  occurred.  Ney  drove  back  the  English  to 
the  little  river  Arunca,  where  several  of  them  were  drowned, 
set  fire  to  the  village  of  Pombal,  and  continued  his  retreat 
leisurely  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Arunca  in  defiance  of  the 
British,  who  were  strongly  posted  on  the  opposite  bank.  This 
spirited  and  well-executed  movement  retarded  the  march  of 
the  English  army  for  several  hours.  After  leaving  Pombal, 
Ney  disputed  every  inch  of  ground  with  the  pursuing  enemy. 
General  Picton,  of  the  Enghsh  army,  says  that  every  move- 
ment which  Ney  made  was  a  "  perfect  lesson  in  the  art  of 
war.  Moving  at  all  times  on  his  flank,  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  everything  he  did,  and  I  must  be  dull  in  the  extreme 

*  "  During  the  whole  day  of  September  27th  the  corps  of  Regnier  and  of 
Ney  fought  desperately  on  the  abrupt  slopes  of  the  mountain,  but  success 
was  impossible." — Lanfrey. 

f  He  had  previously  saved  it  from  starvation.  "  We  shall  hereafter 
show  the  wonders  he  (Ney)  effected  in  providing  food  for  his  forces  dur- 
ing the  Portuguese  campaign  in  a  country  ravaged  by  war,  when  by 
almost  superhuman  exertions  he  succeeded  in  meeting  not  only  the  con- 
sumption of  the  Sixth  Corps,  which  he  commanded,  but  that  of  the  whole 
army,  during  the  six  months  it  remained  upon  the  banks  of  the  Tag  as." 
— "  Memoirs  of  Ne3\" 


46  MARSHAL  NET. 

if  I  liad  not.  derived  some  practically  useful  knowledge  from 
such  an  example, ' '  * 

At  Redinha,  IS^ey  was  grand.  "  He  resolved  to  remain  sev- 
eral hours  before  Redinha  with  the  Mermet  division  alone  and 
his  three  regiments  of  cavalry  and  some  guns,  as  if  to  show 
what  might  be  done  with  seven  thousand  against  twenty-five 
thousand  by  skilful  manoeuvring  on  a  ground  well  adapted  for 
defence.  Proudly  resting  on  the  heights  which  he  was  about 
to  dispute,  he  had  his  four  infantry  regiments  deployed  in  two 
ranks,  his  artillery  a  little  in  advance,  numerous  bands  of 
tirailleurs  scattered  right  and  left  in  convenient  positions,  and 
his  three  cavalry  regiments  in  the  rear,  in  the  centre,  ready  to 
charge  through  the  intervals  of  the  infantry  at  the  first  favor- 
able moment. 

"  The  English,  drawn  out  in  the  plain,  continued  their 
manoeuvre  practised  during  the  day,  and  endeavored  to  out- 
flank us.  Generals  Picton  and  Pack  attempted  to  climb  the 
heights  on  our  left  to  dispute  with  Ney  the  retreat  upon 
Redinha,  while  Generals  Cole  and  Spencer  advanced  in  deep 
columns  to  the  centre,  and  Erskine's  light  infantry  endeav- 
ored to  cross  the  river  on  our  right  by  the  fords  previously 
selected  by  our  cavalry.  But  Key,  employing  every  arm 
with  equal  presence  of  mind,  began  by  riddling  with  bullets 
Picton's  troops  ;  and,  by  destroying  whole  lines,  he  obliged 
them  to  escape  by  an  oblique  movement  ;  but  having  suc- 
ceeded in  mastering  the  heights  after  great  loss,  they  advanced 
against  the  flank  of  Ney  almost  on  a  level,  and  were  within 
gunshot  when  the  latter,  bringing  to  bear  upon  them  six  guns, 
covered  them  with  shot,  and  then  directed  against  them  a  bat- 
talion of  the  Twenty-seventh  and  one  of  the  Fifty-ninth,  and 
all  his  tirailleurs,  who  had  rallied  and  been  formed  into  a  third 
battalion.  These  three  small  columns  vigorously  charged 
Picton's  English  with  the  bayonet,  and  threw  them  to  the 
foot  of  the  heights  after  killing  and  wounding  a  considerable 
number. 

"  In  a  few  moments  the  rout  at  this  spot  was  complete. 

*  "  Life  of  Sir  Thomas  Picton,"  by  H.  B.  Robinson,  vol.  ii. 


MARSHAL  NEY.  47 

Lord  Wellington  then  advanced  liis  centre  to  rally  and  res- 
cue his  right,  and  to  attack  the  position  of  the  French  in 
front.  .  .  .  After  a  discharge  of  artillery  and  musketry, 
Ney  charged  them  with  the  bayonet,  driving  them  to  the 
sloping  ground.  He  then  sent  against  them  the  Third  Hus- 
sars, who  broke  their  first  line  and  sabred  many  of  their  foot. 
At  this  moment  the  confusion  in  the  whole  body  of  the  Eng- 
lish was  extreme  ;  and  if  Ney,  by  having  kept  near  him  the 
Marchand  division,  had  been  able  more  fully  to  engage  that 
of  Mennet,  the  rout  would  have  been  general  and  irrevocable. 
However,  Ney,  unwilling  to  compromise  his  troops,  recalled 
them,  drew  them  up  in  battle  array,  and  remained  in  position 
another  hour,  continually  breaking  the  ranks  of  the  English 
by  ball.  It  was  now  four  o'clock.  Lord  Wellington,  touched 
to  the  quick  at  seeing  himself  thus  detained  and  damaged  by 
a  handful  of  men,  collected  his  whole  army,  formed  it  in  four 
lines,  and  advanced  with  the  evident  determination  to  force 
the  position  at  any  cost.  Ney  effected  his  retreat  with  the 
same  decision  and  vigor  as  had  characterized  the  day.* 

"  The  English  were  obliged  to  halt  upon  the  Soure  after  a 
laborious  day  which  had  cost  them  not  less  than  eighteen  hun- 
dred in  killed  and  wounded,  while  we  had  lost  scarcely  two 
hundred.  The  French  army,  under  the  command  of  its  ablest 
manoeuvrer,  had  on  this  occasion  exhibited  every  form  of 
perfection  which  it  attains  when  it  combines  education  with 
natural  qualifications.  ...  If  on  this  occasion  Ney  had  been 
as  bold  in  command  as  he  had  been  skilful  in  manoeuvring,  he 
would  certainly  have  driven  the  English  far  back  ;  but  under 
the  influence  of  prudential  considerations,  not  ill  founded,  he 
confined  himself  to  a  combat  of  the  rear-guard,  when  he  might 
have  ventured  on  a  general  battle  with  success.     The  British 

*  The  battle  of  Redinha,  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  operations 
leading  up  to  it,  was  a  peerless  feat  of  arms.  Ney's  positions  were  so 
well  chosen,  his  "  handful  of  men"  so  skilfully  arranged,  his  manoeuvres 
so  brilliant,  his  blows  so  daring,  so  hard,  so  well  delivered,  that  he  kept 
Wellington's  whole  army  at  bay  for  six  consecutive  liours.  Wellington 
thought  that  Massena's  whole  army  was  before  him.  The  Iron  Duke  was 
deeply  chagrined  when  he  discovered  that  he  had  been  so  egregiously 
deceived. 


48  MARSHAL  NEY. 

army  would  probably  have  experienced  a  sanguinary  defeat, 
and  would  have  paid  dear  for  the  honor  of  having  forced  us 
to  quit  the  Tagus"  (Thiers'  "  History  of  the  Consulate  and 
the  Empire."  See  also  Alison's  "  Lives  of  Castlereagh  and 
Stuart,"  and  Wright's  "  Welhngton"). 

At  Condeixa,  at  Casalnovo,  at  Miranda  do  Corvo,  at  Foz 
d'Aronce,  at  the  Sierra  de  Murcelha — at  every  point  of  the 
retreat  Ney  maintained  himself  with  matchless  steadiness, 
vigor,  decision,  and  judgment.  He  has  been  blamed  by 
Koch,  Massena,  and  others  for  burning  Condeixa  and  making 
a  hasty  retreat  ;  but  it  was  simply  unavoidable.  "Wellington, 
finding  that  he  could  not  force  Ney's  position  in  front, 
although  he  had  three  times  as  many  men  as  the  French  mar- 
shal, sent  Picton's  division  by  a  long  and  circuitous  route  un- 
known to  Massena  to  cut  off  Ney  from  his  only  line  of  re- 
treat. When  Ney  saw  that  he  was  about  to  be  separated 
from  the  main  body  of  the  army,  "  he  would  have  been  fran- 
tic," says  Napier,  "  to  have  delayed  his  movement." 

Koch,  in  his  "Memoirs  of  Massena,"  also  says  that  Key 
ought  to  have  remained  longer  at  Ponte  de  Murcelha  ;  but  he 
is  either  dishonest  or  densely  ignorant  of  tlie  facts  of  the  case. 
Ney  did  everything  in  his  power  to  carry  out  Massena's 
orders  at  the  Sierra  de  Murcelha,  but  General  Regnier  pre- 
vented him  from  doing  so.  Massena  had  directed  Regnier  to 
connect  with  Ney's  left  to  protect  him  from  a  flank  movement 
by  the  English  ;  but  Regnier,  engaged  in  pillaging,  refused 
to  obey  Massena  ;  and  Ney,  seeing  the  English  advance  be- 
yond his  left,  was  compelled  to  abandon  the  position  of  Ponte 
de  Murcelha.* 

Ney  had  saved  the  army.  No  one  can  doubt  that.  This 
retreat  alone  would  make  Ney  immortal.  Napier  says  : 
"  Ney,  with  a  wonderfully  happy  mixture  of  courage,  readi- 


*  "  General  Regnier  has  put  me  in  the  greatest  embarrassment.  I  shall 
be  obliged  to  set  out  at  once,  as  every  moment  of  delay  may  induce  the 
ruin  of  the  army,  which  has  hitherto  escaped  as  if  by  a  miracle.  This 
conduct  of  General  Regnier  is  frightful." — Ney  to  Massena. 

This  extract  proves  conclusively  that  Ney  was  willing  and  anxious  to 
execute  Massena's  instructions. 


MARSHAL  NEY.  49 

ness,  and  skill  illustrated  every  league  of  ground  by  some  sig- 
nal combination  of  war"  ("  History  of  the  Peninsular  War"). 

"  The  glory  of  this  memorable  retreat  was  the  only  consid- 
erable advantage  derived  by  Marshal  Ney  from  his  services  in 
Spain.  That  retreat  was  a  most  brilliant  one,  and  conferred 
as  much  honor  on  the  Duke  of  Elchingen  as  the  proudest 
victory  he  had  ever  gained.  He  sustained  unmoved  the  in- 
cessant assaults  of  Lord  Wellington's  overwhelming  forces, 
though  the  corps  which  he  commanded  consisted  of  no  more 
than  six  thousand  men,  and  thus  enabled  the  army  to  retire  in 
perfect  order  to  Miranda  do  Corvo"  ("  Court  and  Camp  of 
Bonaparte"). 

At  Celorico,  Massena  and  Ney  had  an  open  and  a  bitter 
quarrel.  JNey  flatly  refused  to  obey  Massena.  Massena  de- 
prived him  of  his  sword,  sent  him  into  the  "  interior  of  Spain 
to  await  the  Emperor's  orders,"  and  gave  the  command  of  his 
corps  to  General  Loison.  It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  fully 
into  the  details  of  this  unfortunate  quarrel  between  Ney  and 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Army  of  Portugal.  One 
thing,  however,  is  perfectly  clear  :  I^^ey  ought  to  have  obeyed 
Massena,  whether  Massena  was  right  or  wrong  ;  whether  the 
orders  were  good,  bad,  or  indifEerent.  And  no  one  knew  this 
better  than  Marshal  Key  himself.  But  the  provocation  was 
exceedingly  great.  Ney  was  disgusted  with  Massena,  and  he 
had  a  right  to  be.  Massena  was  constantly  complaining  of 
weariness  and  fatigue,  loss  of  energy,  etc.,  which  complaints, 
under  the  circumstances,  made  him  the  laughing-stock  of  the 
whole  army. 

"  He  had  the  weakness,"  says  Thiers,  ''  to  seek  a  solace  for 
his  protracted  labors  in  a  species  of  pleasure  which  should 
never  be  presented  to  the  eye  of  those  whom  we  may  be  re- 
quired to  command.  He  was  followed  by  a  woman  who  had 
never  quitted  him  during  the  whole  campaign,  and  whose  car- 
riage the  soldiers  were  required  to  escort  in  the  most  difficult 
and  dangerous  roads.  In  victory  the  soldier  laughs  at  the 
irregularities  of  his  commander  ;  in  ill  fortune  they  are  re- 
garded as  crimes"  ("  History  of  the  Consulate  and  the  Em- 
pire"). 


50  MARSHAL  NEY. 

Such  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  commanding  officer  was 
destructive  of  all  discipline  in  the  army,  and  filled  Ney  with  su- 
preme disgust.  Besides,  Massena  had  treated  Ney's  suggestions 
and  recommendations — most  of  which  were  eminently  sound — 
at  all  times  with  disrespect,  and  sometimes  with  disdain.  Mas- 
sena's  slowness — he  moved  like  a  snail — his  unaccountable  de- 
lays, his  obstinacy  in  trying  to  carry  out  impracticable  plans,*  his 
want  of  energy,  his  peculations,  his  rapacity,  his  intense  selfish- 
ness, his  littleness  of  soul,  his  avarice,  his  dissipations,  his  inabili- 
ty to  govern  himself  or  to  maintain  discipline  in  the  army — these 
things  had  borne  their  legitimate  fruit.  Officers  and  soldiers 
alike  had  lost  all  respect  for  him  as  a  man,  and  almost  all  for 
his  genius  as  a  soldier.  As  to  the  merits  of  the  controversy 
between  Massena  and  Ney,  it  is  clear,  to  my  mind,  that  Ney 
was  right.  Massena  wished  to  make  a  second  invasion  of  Por- 
tugal, notwithstanding  the  disastrous  issue  of  the  first  ;  but 
Ney,  Regnier,  Junot,  and  almost  all  the  officers  and  men  in 
the  entire  army  were  bitterly  opposed  to  it.  It  was,  indeed, 
a  mad  project.  Even  Thiers,  who  worships  Massena,  con- 
demns it.  But  Massena  was  insanely  bent  upon  a  second 
campaign  on  the  Tagus,  and  nothing  could  stop  him. 

With  this  end  in  view,  he  ordered  Ney  to  march  his  corps 
to  a  "  rocky  desert,  dry  and  poor,  where  could  be  found 
neither  bread,  meat,  nor  vegetables  ;  where  the  only  recrea- 
tion was  to  behold  a  well-fed  enemy,  to  be  subject  to  continual 
alarms  in  the  rear,  and  to  be  deluged  with  torrents  of  rain. 
To  announce  that  after  three  or  four  days  of  inaction  and 
famine  in  that  detestable  place  it  should  be  considered  rested 
and  required  to  defile  before  Old  Castile,  to  descend  into 
Estremadura,  where  it  had  remained  awhile  at  the  time  of  the 
battle  of  Talavera  without  meeting  with  abundance,  though 
the  country  was  hitherto  untouched,  was  to  drive  the  corps  to 
despair"  (Thiers). 

This  was  the  straw  which  broke  the  camel's  back.  Ney 
refused  to  obey  Massena  unless  he  produced  the  Emperor's 
orders  for  a  new  invasion  of  Portugal.     Massena  very  prop- 

*  Napoleon  rebuked  Massena  sharply  for  his  bad  management  of  the 
Portuguese  campaign. 


MADAME  LA   MARECHALE  NEY. 


MARSHAL  NET.  51 

erly  deprived  him  of  his  sword  and  sent  him  into  the  heart  of 
Spain.  Ney  ought  to  have  obeyed  his  commanding  officer, 
regardless  of  the  Emperor's  orders.  And  1  repeat,  no  one 
knew  this  better  than  Ney  himself.* 

Massena  undertook  no  second  invasion  of  Portugal.  In- 
deed, after  Ney  left  the  army  he  was  compelled  to  adopt  the 
very  plans  which  Ney  suggested. 

Alison  ("  History  of  Europe")  says  :  "  These  checks"  (by 
Wellington)  "  convinced  Massena  of  the  justice  of  Key's  opin- 
ion— that  the  army  must  seek  for  rest  behind  the  cannon  of 
Ciudad  Rodrigo  ;  and  he  therefore  threw  a  garrison  into  Al- 
meida and  retreated  with  the  bulk  of  his  forces  across  the 
frontier  to  that  fortress,  and  thence  to  Salamanca." 

On  March  29th  Wellington  attacked  Massena,  strongly 
posted  on  the  summit  of  the  Guarda  Mountain.  This  posi- 
tion, one  of  the  ' '  strongest  in  Portugal, ' '  says  Captain 
Sherer,  "  was  abandoned  by  the  French  with  the  utmost  pre- 
cipitation without  one  effort  for  its  defence."  This  result 
was  due,  says  Napier,  to  the  "  absence  of  Ney." 

The  English,  who  had  so  often  felt  the  strong  arm  of  the 
French  marshal,  knowing  that  he  had  quitted  the  army,  at- 
tacked Massena  with  increased  confidence  and  vigor  ;  and  the 
French,  feeling  that  they  were  deprived  of  the  only  man  who 
was  able  to  cope  with  the  English,  were  panic-stricken,  and 
fled  pell-mell  down  the  mountain  sides  like  a  flock  of  senseless 

*  Ney  tlius  wrote  to  Massena  :  "  I  know  that  I  assume  great  responsi- 
bility in  opposing  you.  But  even  if  I  am  to  be  dismissed,  or  to  lose  my 
head,  I  will  not  follow  the  movement  on  Placencia  and  Coria  unless  it  is 
ordered  by  the  Emperor."  It  turned  out,  as  Ney  suspected,  that  Napoleon 
had  not  ordered  the  movement.  Indeed,  the  Emperor  condemned  it  in  no 
measured  terms.  After  Ney  had  written  his  letter  to  Massena,  the  English 
again  set  themselves  in  motion,  and  a  battle  seemed  imminent.  Ney  im- 
mediately wrote  Massena  a  kind  and  conciliatory  letter,  stating  that "  at  the 
approach  of  the  enemy  he  felt  in  duty  bound  to  abide  by  the  army."  But 
Massena  was  inflexible,  and  "  Ney,"  says  Thiers,  "  quitted  the  Sixth  Corps, 
lilled  with  regret  for  his  loss,  but  with  no  disposition  to  revolt."  They 
did  not  revolt,  he  might  have  said,  simply  because  Ney  positively  forbade 
them  to  do  so.  The  Sixth  Corps  idolized  Ney.  A  word  from  him  would 
have  set  the  corps  on  fire  (see  "  Memoirs  of  Ney").  Thiers  adds  :  "  Mar- 
shal Ney  followed  up  a  momentary  error  by  a  praiseworthy  submission." 


52  MARSHAL  NEY. 

sheep.  Napier  pays  Ney  the  highest  comphment  in  his 
power  when  he  says  :  "  The  absence  of  Ney  was  at  once  felt 
by  hoth  armies  ;  the  appearance  of  the  allied  columns  for  the 
first  time  threw  the  PVench  into  the  greatest  confusion,  and, 
without  firing  a  shot,  this  great  and  nearly  impregnable  po- 
sition was  abandoned. ' '  *  Thus  terminated  a  campaign  which 
brought  fame  and  glory  to  Ney  and  dishonor  and  shame  to 
Massena.  With  undoubted  genius  for  war,  Massena  yet 
lacked  that  moral  force  without  which  genius  is  worth  noth- 
ing. He  never  recovered  from  the  shock.  The  dying  embers 
flashed  up  a  little  on  the  hard-fought  field  of  Fuentes- 
d'Onore.  It  was  his  last  battle.  Over  his  tomb  in  Pere  la 
Chaise  is  a  splendid  obelisk  of  white  marble,  with  the  simple 
inscription:  Massena.  "  Take  him  for  all  in  all,"  he  de- 
serves such  a  monument. 

*  The  author  of  "  Cyril  Thornton,"  in  his  "  Annals  of  the  Peninsular 
War,"  says  with  great  justice  and  force  :  "  In  this  retreat  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  exceed  the  skill  and  boldness  with  which  this  officer  [Ney],  taking 
advantage  of  every  favorable  position,  foiled  and  delayed  the  pursuit  of 
a  force  ten  times  more  numerous  than  that  which  he  commanded.  Resist- 
ance was  uniformly  made  till  the  very  last  moment  when  it  could  be  con- 
tinued with  safety.  All  his  movements  were  marked  by  a  promptitude 
and  precision  highly  admirable  ;  by  a  fearless  confidence,  ever  bold,  yet 
never  degenerating  into  rashness.  From  the  moment  when  Ney  quitted 
the  army  a  decrease  of  energy  and  vigor  was  discernible.  Worn  by  priva- 
tion and  fatigue,  and  looking  back  on  a  campaign  which  presented  few 
features  calculated  to  lighten  and  redeem  the  gloom  by  which  it  was  over- 
spread, the  French  soldiers  no  longer  felt  confidence  in  their  leader.  All 
that  was  gallant  and  daring  in  the  retreat  was  attributed  to  Ney  ;  while 
the  timid  policy  of  Massena  was  made  responsible  for  the  misfortunes  of 
the  campaign.  The  departure  of  Ney  was  regarded  as  a  misfortune  by  the 
whole  army,  and  the  lingering  hope  that  the  campaign  might  yet  termi- 
nate in  some  honorable  and  distinguished  achievement  gave  place  to  fore- 
bodings of  misfortune.  These  anticipations  were  not  belied  by  the  event. 
Massena  was  driven  disgracefully  from  his  position  at  Guarda  ;  and  he  at 
length  entered  Spain  with  an  army  whose  moral  confidence  was  gone." 


CIIAPTEE   III. 

In  1812  Ney  accompanied  Napoleon  in  his  famous  ex- 
pedition to  Russia.  He  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Third  Corps,  numbering  37,400  men,  to  which  three  divi- 
sions of  the  First  Corps  were  subsequently  added.  In  com- 
mon with  most  of  Napoleon's  best  officers,  Ney  was  op- 
posed to  this  foolish  invasion  ;  but  Bonaparte  was  determined 
to  destroy,  if  possible,  the  power  of  Russia,  and,  through 
Russia,  the  power  of  England,  and  nothing  could  turn 
him  from  his  purpose.  "  Whom  the  gods  intend  to  de- 
stroy, they  first  make  mad."  But  though  Ney  was  opposed 
to  the  invasion,  he  was  yet  the  right  arm  of  Napoleon  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  campaign.  Indeed,  before 
the  close  of  the  war  the  Emperor  had  entirely  disappeared, 
the  grand  army  had  disappeared,  and  Ney  alone  remained. 

The  Emperor,  the  grand  army,  the  French  Empire  itself  lived 
only  in  Ney.  Before  Moscow  was  reached,  Ney  was  con- 
stantly in  the  vanguard,  pursuing  the  Russians  with  his  wonted 
vigilance  and  vigor.  His  steady  valor  and  sound  judgment 
were  of  great  benefit  to  Napoleon  on  many  a  critical  occasion. 
At  Krasnoi,  Ney  had  quite  a  serious  brush  with  the  enemy, 
but  his  dispositions  were  so  good  that  the  Russians  were 
quickly  defeated  and  retired  in  considerable  confusion.  At 
Smolensko  a  ball  struck  him  on  the  neck  and  tore  away  a  por- 
tion of  his  coat-collar.  He  was  not  so  successful  here  as  he 
had  been  at  Krasnoi,  because  the  orders  issued  by  Napoleon 
to  those  who  were  to  assist  in  the  movement  were  not  prompt- 
ly executed. 

Ney  now  made  a  last  effort  to  induce  Bonaparte  to  suspend 
his  operations,  to  winter  at  Smolensko,  to  establish  a  fortified 
camp,  to  recruit  his  army,  to  collect  stores  of  all  kinds,  and 
be  ready  for  a  general  advance  in  the  spring.     lie  was  fully 


54  MARSHAL  NEY. 

convinced  that  to  penetrate  into  the  heart  of  Russia  at  so  late 
a  period  of  the  year,  especially  when  Bonaparte's  losses  of 
every  kind  had  already  been  so  great,  could  but  result  in  de- 
feat and  ruin  to  the  entire  army.  His  was  the  counsel  of  a 
wise  man,  but  Napoleon  was  displeased  with  Ney's  frankness 
of  speech.  At  a  council  held  at  Smolensko,  Ney  spoke  his 
mind  so  freely  that  the  Emperor  replied  with  considerable 
asperity  :  "  Duke  of  Elchingen,  I  am  well  aware  that  in 
bravery  and  attachment  to  my  person  and  interests  you  have 
no  superior  ;  but  you  do  not  know  the  Russians  ;  they  are  not 
like  the  Germans  ;  they  will  receive  us  with  open  arms — they 
sigh  for  our  arrival  as  earnestly  as  the  Jews  for  the  coming  of 
their  Messiah.  I  will  give  freedom  to  the  people  civilized  by 
Peter  the  Great.  1  will  put  the  finishing  hand  to  his  great 
work  by  providing  the  Russians  with  the  Code  Napoleon." 

Caulaincourt  agreed  with  the  Emperor,  using  many  flatter- 
ing expressions  which  were  exceedingly  distasteful  to  Ney. 
"  Would  to  Heaven,"  said  he,  with  characteristic  bluntness, 
"  the  honeyed  language  of  this  diplomatic  general  may  not 
prove  more  injurious  to  the  army  than  the  most  bloody  bat- 
tle !" 

His  words  were  prophetic.  At  Valoutina  there  can  be  lit- 
tle doubt  that  Ney  would  have  almost  destroyed  Barclay  de 
Tolly  but  for  the  inactivity  and  impotence  of  Junot.  That 
general,  surnamed  la  temjpete,  was  anything  but  a  tem- 
pest on  this  occasion.  Ney  had  attacked  the  Russians  in 
front,  and  after  an  obstinate  conflict  had  completely  routed 
them.  Junot  was  on  their  flank  with  the  Westphalian 
troops  ;  but  at  the  critical  moment  his  mind  became  par- 
alyzed, and  he  failed  utterly  to  execute  the  orders  which  had 
been  given  him.  A  vigorous  charge  by  this  unfortunate  oflfi- 
cer  would  have  completed  the  victory.  Napoleon  was  very 
angry  with  him.  "What  was  Junot  about?"  said  he.  "I 
shall  deprive  him  of  his  command.  He  has  irretrievably  lost 
his  marshal's  staff." 

At  the  battle  of  Borodino,  or  of  the  Moskva,  the  bloodiest, 
perhaps,  of  modern  times,  Ney  surpassed  himself,  and  richly 
earned  the  title  which  Napoleon  gave  him  on  the  battlefield — 


MARSHAL  NET.  55 

Prince  de  la  Moshowa.  For  a  considerable  time  after  the 
battle  began,  ^N^apoleon  kept  N^ey  close  by  liis  side,  and  would 
not  allow  him  to  engage  in  the  fight,  although  he  was  exceed- 
ingly anxious  to  do  so.  Napoleon  wished  to  save  him  for  a 
critical  moment,  when  his  blows  would  tell  most  powerfully 
for  him  and  his  empire.  He  well  knew  that  he  had  no  officer 
who  could  carry  his  men  so  far  into  the  battle  and  hold  them 
there  so  long  as  the  "  bravest  of  the  brave."  It  was  well  for 
Napoleon  that  Ney  was  with  him,  for  Ney  alone  saved  him 
from  a  crushing  defeat.  All  historians  admit  that  Ney  was 
the  hero  of  the  day. 

The  struggle  was  terrific.  The  Russians  "  fought  like 
devils."  For  a  long  time  the  scales  seemed  to  be  evenly  bal- 
anced. At  last  Ney,  after  incredible  exertions,  his  men  fall- 
ing thick  and  fast  around  him  at  every  step,  marched  straight 
upon  the  key  of  the  Russian  position,  and  took  it.  Koutousoff 
now  fought,  not  for  victory,  but  for  life.  Murat's  cavalry 
had  been  previously  driven  back  upon  Ney's  troops  in  utter 
confusion,  and  but  for  Ney's  prompt  assistance  Murat  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  force  would  have  been  captured  or  de- 
stroyed. Ney,  with  Davout  and  Murat,  sent  an  urgent  re- 
quest to  Napoleon  for  reinforcements  to  complete  the  victory, 
but  Bonaparte  refused  to  send  them.  He  had  lost,  or  ap- 
peared to  have  lost,  his  accustomed  decision  and  vigor.  He 
was  moody,  spiritless,  and  dejected.  "  He  was  seized,"  says 
Segur,  "  with  a  hesitation  which  he  had  never  shown  before. 
He  gave  orders  and  counter  orders.  Daru,  as  well  as  his 
other  ofiicers,  asserted  that  his  genius  could  no  longer  accom- 
modate itself  to  circumstances."  They  were  right.  Again 
and  again  did  Ney,  Davout,  and  others  ask  for  reinforce- 
ments. Ney  had  swept  away  Bagration's  corps,  and  Davout 
and  Murat,  seconded  by  Ney,  had  been  successful  at  other 
points  ;  and  it  really  seemed  that  they  needed  but  the  guard 
to  make  the  victory  decisive.  "  Let  the  Emperor  send  us 
the  Young  Guard,"  said  they,  "  and  we  will  finish  the 
Russians." 

But  Bonaparte  was  unyielding.  "The  hour  of  this  bat- 
tle," said  he,  "  is  not  yet  come.     Nothing  is  yet  sufficiently 


56  MARSHAL  NEY. 

determined.  I  must  see  more  clearly  upon  my  chessboard 
before  I  bring  my  reserves  into  play, ' ' 

"  Meanwhile,  Napoleon,"  says  Segur,  "  remained  at  a  great 
distance  from  the  battle,  of  which  he  could  scarcely  see  any- 
thing after  it  got  beyond  the  heights,*  nerveless,  crestfallen, 
and  apparently  indifferent  to  the  result. ' ' 

Ney  at  last  lost  all  patience  with  the  Emperor,  "  Are  we, 
then,"  said  he,  "  come  so  far  to  be  satisfied  only  with  a  field 
of  battle  ?  What  business  has  the  Emperor  in  the  rear  of  the 
army  ?  There  he  is  only  within  reach  of  reverses,  and  not  of 
victory.  Since  he  will  no  longer  make  war  himself,  since  he 
is  no  longer  the  general,  and  wishes  to  be  the  Emperor  every- 
where, let  him  return  to  the  Tuileries,  and  leave  us  to  be  gen- 
erals for  him." 

But  Napoleon  would  under  no  circumstances  part  with  his 
guard.  It  was  his  only  stay  and  hope.  There  were  many 
leagues  between  him  and  France,  and  many  things  might  hap- 
pen before  he  could  get  back.  To  Belliard  and  Darn,  who 
urged  him  at  the  last  moment  to  send  forward  the  guard,  he 
said  :  "  And  if  there  should  be  another  battle  to-morrow, 
where  will  be  my  army  to  fight  it  ?"  The  victory  at  Boro- 
dino was  dearly  bought,  and  almost  barren  of  practical  results. 
The  carnage  in  both  armies  was  simply  frightful.  Ney  ear- 
nestly advised  a  retreat,  but  Napoleon  had  no  prudence,  and 
his  everlasting  star  led  him  on  to  his  ruin.  He  had  already 
committed  fearful  blunders,  and  he  kept  on  committing  them. 


*  Count  Mathieu  Dumas  seems  to  contradict  Segur  in  some  particulars. 
He  says  :  "  During  the  whole  of  this  day  I  was  near  the  Emperor,  leaving 
liim  only  at  intervals  to  visit  the  most  advanced  ambulances,  etc.  .  ,  . 
The  Emperor  remained  motionless,  generally  seated  on  the  edge  of  a  ditch, 
and  sometimes  walking  a  few  paces  to  the  right  or  the  left.  His  apparent 
indifference  has  excited  astonishment.  Napoleon  had  undergone  exces- 
sive fatigue  during  the  two  preceding  nights,  and  he  certainly  appeared 
to  be  indisposed.  He  placed  himself  at  a  short  distance  from  his  right 
wing.  The  station  which  he  had  chosen  was  the  best  point  of  observa- 
tion. It  commanded  a  view  of  the  whole  field  of  battle,  and  if  any 
manoeuvre,  any  partial  success  of  the  enemy  had  required  new  measures, 
the  vigilance  of  Napoleon  would  not  have  failed  to  meet  the  emergency  of 
the  case." — "  Memoirs." 


MARSHAL  NEY.  57 

He  thought  he  knew  all  about  the  Russian  character,  and  he 
knew  nothing  about  it.     Moscow  was  his  grave. 

When  the  retreat  began,  Davout  was  appointed  to  com- 
mand the  rear-guard  ;  but  he  was  unfit  for  the  position,  and 
at  Viazma  he  was  superseded  by  Ney.  The  history  of  the 
Russian  retreat,  as  conducted  by  Ney,  has  never  been  written. 
It  is  impossible  to  write  it.  No  pen  is  adequate  to  the  task. 
Each  day  of  the  forty  days  liad  in  it  enough  immortality  for  a 
dozen  men.  There  is  nothing  like  it  in  all  history  ;  there  is 
nothing  even  approximating  it.  At  first  Davout  and  Eugene 
were  expected  to  support  Ney,  but  Ney,  in  fact,  had  to  sup- 
port them.  Indeed,  he  saved  them  from  total  destruction — 
Eugene  twice.  Ney  was  literally  forsaken.  Every  one  fled 
for  his  life — Napoleon  in  the  van.  But  Ney  was  a  hero  of 
heroes.  There  he  was,  with  a  few  thousand  soldiers,  sur- 
rounded by  deadly  foes  of  every  kind.  His  front,  flank  and 
rear  were  swarming  with  vengeful  Russians.  Hunger,  cold, 
disease,  fatigue,  exhaustion,  disorder,  lawlessness,  despair, 
madness — foes  worse  than  Russians — attacked  him  pitilessly  at 
every  step.  But  Ney  was  equal  to  the  occasion.  He  rose 
above  the  occasion.  He  became  the  occasion  itself.  The  re- 
treat was  Ney. 

Between  Yiazma  and  Smolensk©  he  fought  ten  whole  days 
with  a  skill  and  heroism  that  nothing  could  surpass.  "  Ney," 
says  Segur,  "  saw  that  a  sacrifice  was  required,  and  that  he 
was  marked  out  as  the  victim  ;  he  nobly  resigned  himself, 
therefore,  prepared  to  meet  the  whole  of  a  danger  great  as 
his  courage  ;  and  thenceforward  he  neither  attached  his  honor 
to  baggage  nor  to  cannon,  which  the  winter  alone  wrested  from 
him.  An  elbow  of  the  Borysthenes  stopped  and  kept  back 
part  of  his  guns  at  the  foot  of  its  icy  slopes  ;  he  sacrificed 
them  without  hesitation,  passed  that  obstacle,  faced  about,  and 
made  the  hostile  river,  which  crossed  his  route,  serve  him  as 
the  means  of  defence. 

"  The  Russians,  however,  advanced  under  favor  of  a  wood 
and  of  our  forsaken  carriages,  whence  they  kept  up  a  fire  of 
musketry  on  Ney's  troops.  Half  of  the  latter,  whose  icy 
arms  froze  their  stiffened  fingers,  became  discouraged  ;  they 


58  MARSHAL  NET. 

gave  way,  excusing  tliemselves  by  their  want  of  firmness  on 
the  preceding  day,  and  fleeing  because  they  had  fled  before, 
which  but  for  this  they  would  have  considered  as  impossible. 
But  Ney,  rushing  in  among  them,  seized  one  of  their  muskets 
and  led  them  back  to  action,  which  he  was  himself  the 
first  to  renew,  exposing  his  life  like  a  private  soldier  with  a 
firelock  in  his  hand,  the  same  as  though  he  had  been  neither 
possessed  of  wealth  nor  power  nor  consideration — in  short, 
as  if  he  had  still  everything  to  gain,  when,  in  fact,  he  had 
everything  to  lose.  But,  though  he  had  again  turned  soldier, 
he  ceased  not  to  be  general  ;  he  took  advantage  of  the  ground, 
supported  himself  against  a  height,  and  covered  his  approach 
by  occupying  a  palisaded  house.  His  general  and  colonels, 
among  whom  he  particularly  remarked  Fezensac,  strenuously 
seconded  him  ;  and  the  enemy,  who  had  expected  to  pursue, 
was  obliged  to  retreat.  By  this  action  Ney  afforded  the  army 
a  respite  of  twenty-four  hours,  and  it  profited  by  it  to  proceed 
toward  Smolensko.  The  next  day  and  every  succeeding  day 
he  displayed  the  same  heroism." 

Just  before  Ney  reached  Smolensko,  and  as  he  had  faced 
about  to  give  battle  to  the  Russians,  he  suddenly  saw  upon  his 
left  a  large  body  of  disbanded  men  rushing  wildly  upon  his 
own  troops,  as  if  they  intended  to  attack  them.  They  were 
Eugene's  soldiers,  who  had  become  utterly  demoralized. 
They  were  closely  followed  by  the  howhng  Cossacks.  Ney 
was  at  first  astonished,  but  quickly  taking  in  the  situation,  he 
rapidly  made  his  dispositions  to  meet  this  threefold  danger — 
the  enemy  attacking  him  in  the  rear,  Eugene's  crazy  corps, 
and  the  Cossacks  in  hot  pursuit  of  them.  By  exertions  almost 
superhuman  he  finally  succeeded  (ably  assisted  by  Fezensac) 
in  arresting  the  progress  of  these  formidable  armies,  and  then 
taking  Eugene  under  his  wing,  marched  triumphantly  away. 

Ney's  difiiculties,  almost  insuperable  before,  were  still 
greater  after  he  left  Smolensko.  His  resources  of  every  kind 
were  rapidly  disappearing,  and  there  was  no  way  to  replenish 
them.  His  little  army  was  thinning  out  at  every  step  by 
cold,  disease,  famine,  and  the  sword,  while  his  enemies  were 
multiplying  like  locusts  in  all  directions.     Napoleon,  with  the 


MARSHAL  NET.  59 

residue  of  the  army,  was,  if  possible,  fleeing  faster  than  be- 
fore, and  the  line  of  retreat  was  almost  blocked  up  by  the 
deep  and  deepening  snow,  by  fallen  trees  and  treacherous 
morasses,  excavations,  hollows,  ravines,  etc.,  into  which  the 
soldiers  were  continually  plunging,  many  of  them  to  rise  no 
more  ;  by  dead  and  dying  men,  women,  and  horses,  even  chil- 
dren ;  abandoned  baggage,*  cannon,  caissons,  carts,  wagons 
and  carriages  laden  with  the  spoils  of  Moscow  :  every  form  of 
danger,  suffering,  and  death  seemed  to  confront  the  deserted 
but  undaunted  leader,  f 

*  "  The  Emperor  was  desirous  to  march  leisurely  in  order  to  preserve 
the  baggage.  In  vain  Marshal  Ney  wrote  to  him  that  there  was  no  time 
to  be  lost ;  that  the  enemy  pressed  the  rear-guard  closer  and  closer  ;  that 
the  Russian  army  was  gaining  on  our  flanks  by  forced  marches  ;  and  that 
there  was  reason  to  apprehend  it  would  succeed  in  reaching  Smolensko  or 
Orcha  before  us." — Fezensac's  "  Russian  Campaign." 

f  "  The  Third  Corps  [Ney's],  which  arrived  last  at  Smolensko,  and  who 
were  still  engaged  in  defending  the  approaches  to  the  town,  were  alto- 
gether forgotten  by  those  whom  they  had  protected.  Our  army  had 
already  taken  the  route  of  Orcha,  and  Marshal  Ney,  now  left  to  his  own 
resources,  made  his  dispositions  for  defending  Smolensko  to  tlie  utmost, 
and  thus  check  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  .  .  .  Our  situation  now  became 
critical.  It  was  necessary  at  all  hazards  to  repel  an  attack  which,  if  suc- 
cessful, would  render  the  enemy  master  of  the  tete  du  pont ;  but  finding 
myself  unsupported  in  the  suburb,  I  dared  not  engage  my  regiment  fur- 
ther after  I  had  received  the  order  to  retire.  Luckily  Marshal  Ney,  whom 
the  sound  of  firing  always  drew  to  the  scene  of  action,  appeared  on  the 
parapet  and  ordered  me  to  advance  against  the  enemy,  drive  him  out  of 
the  suburb,  and  thus  afford  time  for  clearing  the  passage.  I  led  my  men 
on  at  the  double  march  through  snow  and  over  the  ruins  of  houses.  They 
felt  proud  of  engaging  the  enemy  under  the  eyes  of  the  marshal  and  their 
comrades  of  the  First  Division,  who  were  looking  on  from  the  ramparts, 
and  charged  with  the  greatest  ardor.  The  Russians  retired  with  precipi- 
tation ;  they  carried  off  their  artillery,  but  their  skirmishers  were  dislodged 
from  their  houses,  and  in  a  few  moments  we  were  masters  of  the  whole 
suburb.  Marshal  Ney  sent  me  orders  not  to  advance  too  far — a  very  rare 
recommendation  on  his  part.  .  .  .  The  same  evening  I  received  from 
Marshal  Ney  the  most  flattering  testimonials  of  his  satisfaction  at  our  con- 
duct on  the  preceding  day  (loth).  I  communicated  them  to  my  officers, 
and  exhorted  them  to  prove  themselves  worthy  of  them.  Only  five  hun- 
dred rank  and  file  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  still  remained  ;  and  what  had 
not  this  small  remnant  gone  through  ?  How  much  interest  and  confidence 
were  not  these  brave  men  calculated  to  inspire,  who,  under  such  severe 
trials,  had  continued  faithful  to  their  colors,  and  whose  courage  had  only 


60  MARSHAL  NEY. 

As  Ney  approached  the  banks  of  the  Losmina,  near  Kras- 
noi,  on  the  18th,  he  was  astonished  to  j&nd  the  Russian  com- 
mander, with  eighty  thousand  men,  directly  in  his  front, 
Koutousoff  had  captured  Napoleon's  papers  near  Krasnoi, 
and  from  these  he  had  learned  the  exact  situation  of  Key's 
corps,  and  the  deplorable  condition  to  which  it  had  been  re- 
duced. Koutousoff  now  felt  that  he  had  Ney  completely  in 
his  power.  A  Russian  officer  appeared  and  summoned  Ney 
to  surrender.  The  demand,  however,  was  softened  with  many 
flattering  words.  The  pill  was  sugar-coated.  "  KoutousoJBE," 
said  the  messenger,  "  would  not  have  presumed  to  make  so 
cruel  a  proposal  to  so  great  a  general,  to  a  warrior  so  re- 
nowned, if  there  had  remained  a  single  chance  of  safety  for 
him.  But  there  were  eighty  thousand  Russians  before  and 
around  him,  and  if  he  had  any  doubt  of  it,  Koutousoff  would 
permit  him  to  send  a  person  to  pass  through  his  ranks  and 
count  his  forces." 

The  officer  had  not  finished  his  honeyed  speech  "when,'' 
says  Segur,  "  suddenly  forty  discharges  of  grape-shot,  com- 
ing from  the  right  of  his  army,  and  cutting  our  files  to  pieces, 
struck  him  with  amazement,  and  effectually  put  a  stop  to  what 
he  had  further  intended  to  say.  At  the  same  moment  a 
French  officer  darted  forward,  seized,  and  would  have  at  once 
killed  him  as  a  traitor,  but  that  Ney  checked  his  fury,  angrily 
saying  to  the  Russian,  "  A  Marshal  of  France  never  surren- 
ders ;  there  is  no  parleying  under  fire,  you  are  my  prisoner." 
The  officer  was  accordingly  disarmed  and  detained  as  a  pris- 
oner ;  nor  was  he  released  until  they  reached  Kowno,  after 
twenty-six  days  of  captivity,  sharing  all  their  miseries,  at  lib- 
erty to  escape,  but  restrained  by  his  parole  of  honor. 

The  enemy's  fire  meanwhile  grew  hotter  and  hotter,  and  all 
the  hills,  which  but  a  moment  before  looked  cold  and  silent, 

increased  with  their  difficulties.     I  felt  proud  of  the  glory  they  had  ac- 
quired."— "  Memoirs  of  the  Duke  of  Fezensac." 

"  The  headquarters  of  the  Imperial  Guard  and  the  corps  of  the  Prince 
Viceroy  and  Marshal  Davout  proceeded  pell-mell,  and  in  the  most  fright- 
ful disorder,  to  reach  Orcha,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Dnieper." — Dumas' 
"  Memoirs  of  the  Revolution,  Empire,  etc." 


MARSHAL  NET.  61 

became  like  so  many  volcanoes  in  eruption  ;  but  the  courage 
of  Ney  was  only  inflamed  by  it  ;  lie  seemed  to  be  but  breath- 
ing his  own  appropriate  element.  Alone,  and  looking  to  no 
one  for  support,  he  supported  everybody.  He  resolved  to 
cut  his  way  through  this  immense  host.  He  made  no 
harangue,  but  marched  silently  at  the  head  of  his  troops, 
trusting  to  example,  which  in  a  hero  is  more  eloquent  than  any 
oratory,  and  the  most  commanding  of  all  orders.  They  all 
followed  him  ;  attacked,  penetrated,  and  overturned  the  first 
Russian  line  ;  and,  without  halting,  even  precipitating  them- 
selves upon  the  second  ;  but  before  they  could  reach  it  a  volley 
of  round  and  grapeshot  poured  down  upon  them. 

In  an  instant  Ney  saw  all  his  generals  wounded,  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  soldiers  killed  ;  their  ranks  were  empty  ; 
their  shapeless  column  wheeled  suddenly  round,  staggered, 
fell  back,  and  drew  Ney  along  with  it.  He  waited  until  his 
men  had  once  more  placed  the  ravine  between  them  and  the 
enemy,  that  ravine  which  was  now  his  sole  resource,  and  then 
he  halted  and  rallied  them.  The  Russians  dared  not  pursue 
him.  He  drew  up  his  four  thousand  men  against  eighty  thou- 
sand, and  returning  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  two  hundred  can- 
non with  his  six  pieces,  made  fortune  blush  at  betraying  such 
courage.  Night  soon  came  to  Ney's  aid.  He  had  been  anx- 
iously waiting  for  it.  He  quietly  ordered  his  men  to  march 
back  toward  Smolensk.  They  were  struck  motionless  with 
astonishment.  Even  his  aide-de-camp  could  not  beheve  his 
ears  ;  he  remained  silent,  like  one  who  does  not  comprehend 
what  he  hears,  and  stared  at  his  general  in  utter  amazement. 
But  the  marshal  briefly  repeating  the  same  order  in  a  still 
more  imperative  tone,  they  were  no  longer  at  any  loss,  but  all 
recognized  in  it  resolution  taken,  a  resource  discovered,  that 
self-confidence  which  inspires  others  with  the  same  feeling, 
and  a  spirit  which  rises  superior  to  its  situation,  however 
perilous  it  may  be.  They  instantly  obeyed  and  turned  their 
backs  on  their  own  army,  on  the  Emperor,  and  on  France. 
Once  more  they  returned  into  that  fatal  Russia.* 

*  "  History  of  the  Russian  Campaign." 

Some  of  Ney's  men  said  afterward  :  "  It     as  always  been  a  matter  of 


62  MARSHAL  NET. 

"  But  Marshal  Ney's  presence,"  says  Fezensac,  "  was  suffi- 
cient to  infuse  confidence.  Without  presuming  to  divine 
what  he  would  or  could  do,  we  knew  that  he  would  do  some- 
thing. His  own  confidence  in  himself  was  equal  to  his  cour- 
age. The  greater  the  danger,  the  prompter  was  his  deter- 
mination. When  he  had  once  taken  his  line,  he  was  the  last 
to  entertain  a  doubt  of  its  success.  At  such  a  moment  his 
countenance  indicated  neither  indecision  nor  anxiety.  The 
eyes  of  all  were  now  turned  toward  him,  but  no  one  had  yet 
ventured  to  ask  a  question.  At  length,  seeing  near  him  an 
officer  of  his  staff,  the  marshal  said  in  a  low  voice,  '  We  are 
in  a  bad  predicament '  {noics  ne  somtnes  pas  hien).  '  What 
do  you  propose  doing  ? '  replied  the  officer.  '  Cross  the 
Dnieper, '  '  In  what  direction  is  the  road  ? '  '  We  shall  as- 
certain that  presently.'  '  And  suppose  the  river  should  not 
be  frozen  V  'It  will  be  soon. '  '  Oh,  very  good  '  {d  la  honne 
Jieure).  This  singular  dialogue,  which  I  relate  word  for  word, 
disclosed  to  us  the  project  of  the  marshal  to  reach  Orcha  by 
the  right  bank  of  the  river,  and  to  move  with  sufficient  ra- 
pidity to  enable  us  to  overtake  in  that  place  the  French  army, 
now  marching  by  the  left  bank.  The  plan  was  bold,  and  ably 
conceived  ;  we  shall  see  with  what  vigor  it  was  executed. 
Marshal  Ney,  endowed  with  that  military  instinct  of  turning- 
to  account  the  most  trifling  circumstances,  remarked  that  there 
was  ice  in  the  direction  we  were  following,  and  ordered  it  to 
be  broken,  in  the  supposition  that  it  might  incase  some  rivulet 
leading  to  the  Dnieper.*  This  really  proved  to  be  the  case. 
We  followed  it  and  soon  arrived  at  the  village  of  Danikowa, 

astonishment  to  us  that  we  should  have  obeyed  the  marshal  when  he 
ordered  us  to  go  back  into  that  earthly  hell.  The  truth  is,  we  couldn't 
help  obeying  him.  We  were  completely  in  his  power.  He  had  bewitched 
us,  and  we  had  no  wills  of  our  own.  We  followed  him  as  a  dog  would 
follow  his  master." 

*  Ney  halted  on  the  edge  of  a  ravine.  His  men  looked  at  him  mechani- 
cally. "  What  next  ?"  thought  they.  "  Clear  away  the  snow,"  said  the 
marshal.  "  Now  break  the  ice. "  At  the  bottom  was  found  a  small  stream 
flowing  to  the  west.  Ney  looked  at  his  map  behind  a  deep  snow  bank. 
"This  stream,"  said  he,  "flows  into  the  Dnieper.  Follow  me,  and  we 
shall  soon  be  safe." 


MARSHAL  KEY. 

(From  Meyer's  Colleclion  of  rortniits  of  the  Grand  Officers  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.) 


MARSHAL  NET.  63 

where  the  marshal  allowed  it  to  be  supposed  he  was  about  to 
take  up  his  quarters  for  the  night.  The  fires  were  lighted, 
and  advanced  posts  were  placed.  The  enemy  left  us  quiet, 
flattering  himself  with  the  expectation  of  an  easy  victory 
to-morrow."* 

Shortly  afterward  the  noise  of  the  enemy's  cannon  was 
heard.  Ney  at  first  thought  it  might  be  the  cannon  of  Mar- 
shal Davout.  "  Has  Davout  at  last  recollected  me  !"  he 
exclaimed  ;  but  he  was  soon  convinced  that  it  was  Russian 
cannon,  that  the  enemy  were  triumphing  over  him  in  advance, 
thinking  he  would  be  an  easy  prey  the  next  morning.  "  I 
will  give  the  lie  to  their  joy,"  he  said,  and  under  cover  of  the 
stratagem  which  he  had  employed  to  deceive  the  enemy  (the 
lighting  of  fires,  placing  of  advanced  posts,  etc.),  he  quietly 
resumed  his  march,  leaving  the  enemy  to  think  that  he  was 
still  at  Danikowa. 

A  lame  peasant,  whom  the  marshal's  scouts  found  not  far 
from  the  line  of  march,  was  made  to  do  duty  as  a  guide.  He 
informed  them  that  the  Dnieper  was  only  about  three  miles 
distant,  that  it  was  too  deep  for  fording,  and  that  he  was  cer- 
tain it  was  not  frozen  over.  Ney  cut  him  short  with,  "  It 
must  be  frozen."  Some  one  remarked  that  it  was  warmer 
now  than  it  had  been,  and  that  a  thaw  had  just  commenced. 
"  It  makes  no  difference,"  replied  Ney,  "  we  Tnust  pass,  there 
is  no  other  resource  left  us." 

"When  the  river  was  reached,  it  was  found  that  it  was  frozen 
over  only  in  one  place,  at  a  sudden  bend  of  the  stream,  and 
that  it  was  just  strong  enough  for  the  troops  to  pass  over  in 
single  file.  "But,"  says  Segur,  "in  this  silent,  nocturnal 
march  across  the  fields  of  a  column  composed  of  exhausted 
and  wounded  men,  and  of  women  and  children,  they  had  been 
unable  to  keep  sufficiently  close  to  prevent  them  from  losing 
each  other  in  the  dark.  Ney  perceived  that  only  a  part  of 
his  people  had  come  up  ;  still  he  might  at  once  have  secured 
the  safety  of  those  who  were  there,  and  waited  on  the  other 
side  for  the  rest.     The  idea,  however,  never  entered  his  mind, 

*  "  Memoirs  of  the  Due  de  Fezensac." 


64  MARSHAL  NET. 

and  when  some  one  at  length  proposed  it  to  him,  he  rejected 
it  instantl_y.  He  allowed  three  hours  for  the  rallying  ;  and, 
without  suffering  himself  to  be  agitated  by  the  least  im- 
patience, or  by  the  danger  of  waiting  so  long,  he  wrapped 
himself  up  in  his  cloak,  and  passed  these  three  perilous  hours 
in  a  profound  sleep  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  So  fully  did  he 
possess  the  temperament  and  character  of  great  men,  a  strong 
mind  in  a  sound  and  robust  body." 

Toward  midnight  the  passage  began.  Most  of  the  troops 
passed  over,  though  with  considerable  difficulty,  as  the  ice 
cracked  and  bent  beneath  them  at  almost  every  step.  A  few 
of  the  horses  only  were  enabled  to  cross,  and  the  baggage  was 
entirely  abandoned.  At  last  several  wagons  loaded  with  the 
sick  and  wounded  and  with  women  and  children  attempted  to 
pass.  About  midway  the  river  the  ice  broke  and  gave  way. 
The  shrieks  and  cries  for  help  were  perfectly  awful,  and  could 
be  heard  for  miles  around.  These  were  succeeded  by  heavy, 
stifled  moans — then  silence.  Those  who  were  present  say 
these  heart-rending  screams  sounded  in  their  ears  for  days  and 
days  afterward, 

"  Ney,"  says  Home,*  "  fixed  his  appalled  looks  on  the  dis- 
mal gulf,  and  thought  he  distinguished  through  the  darkness 
a  living  man.  It  was  a  wounded  officer  named  Briqueville, 
who  had  escaped  on  a  large  flat  of  ice,  and  Avas  approaching 
the  bank  on  his  hands  and  knees."  Ney  reached  down  from 
the  bank  and  pulled  him  ashore. 

After  crossing  the  Dnieper  the  Cossacks  appeared  in  in- 
creasing numbers,  and  these  were  superior  in  quality  and  dis- 
cipline and  general  efficiency  to  those  whom  Ney  had  encoun- 
tered on  the  left  bank  of  the  Dnieper.  Platoff  himself  led 
them  on.  They  attacked  Ney  almost  without  intermission, 
both  by  day  and  night,  but  he,  profiting  by  the  least  accidents 
of  ground  and  by  every  circumstance  tliat  could  give  him  the 
slightest  advantage,  kept  his  enemies  at  bay  by  his  bold  coun- 
tenance, his  unconquerable  spirit,  and  by  the  energy  and  hope 
which  he  infused  into  those  around  him.     At  one  time  the 

*  "  Life  of  Napoleon." 


MARSHAL  NET.  65 

Cossacks  placed  themselves  immediately  in  his  front  and  at- 
tacked him  with  such  numbers  and  such  spirit  that  escape 
seemed  absolutely  impossible,  but  Ney  rushed  forward  as  if 
he  had  planned  the  attack,  exclaiming,  "  Comrades,  now  is 
your  time,  forward  !     We  have  them." 

"  At  these  words"  (Segur)  "  his  soldiers,  who  but  a  mo- 
ment before  had  been  in  the  utmost  consternation,  now  be- 
lieved they  were  about  to  surprise  their  foes  ;  from  being  van- 
quished they  rose  up  conquerors ;  they  rushed  upon  the 
enemy,  who  fled  with  the  utmost  precipitation." 

Fezensac's  account  of  these  movements  is  most  interesting. 
But  for  his  presence  of  mind,  good  judgment,  and  tireless 
efforts,  General  D'llenin's  Brigade,  in  which  he  served, 
would  have  been  cut  off  and  destroyed.     He  says  : 

"  "We  continued  to  move  at  the  same  steady  pace,  amid  a 
storm  of  bullets  which  continually  thinned  our  ranks,  and 
heedless  of  the  cries  and  threatening  movements  of  the  Cos- 
sacks, It  became  necessary  to  quit  the  main  road,  and  to 
thread  our  way  through  the  woods  which  followed  the  course 
of  the  Dnieper  on  our  left.  The  Cossacks  had  already  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  these,  and  the  Fourth  and  Eighteenth 
regiments  were  ordered,  under  General  D'Henin,  to  drive 
them  out.  Here  Platoff  had  calculated  on  completing  our 
destruction.  1  entered  the  woods,  and  the  Cossacks  retreated 
a  short  distance.  The  thickness  of  the  woods  was  such  that 
to  guard  against  surprise  we  were  obliged  to  show  a  front  in 
every  direction.  As  the  night  advanced  silence  succeeded 
around  us,  and  we  deemed  it  more  than  probable  that  Marshal 
Key  had  continued  his  march.  I  recommended  General 
D'Henin  to  follow  the  marshal's  movement,  but  he  was  un- 
willing to  encounter  again  the  reproaches  he  had  before  been 
subject  to  for  quitting  his  post  without  orders.  We  were  on 
the  point  of  being  cut  off.  I  knew  this  by  the  loud  cries  in 
front  of  us.  I  renewed  my  entreaties  to  General  D'Henin, 
assuring  him  that  the  marshal,  whose  habits  I  was  well  ac- 
quainted with,  was  not  likely  to  send  him  any  order  ;  for  he 
always  expected  that  an  officer  in  command  would  act  as  cir- 
cumstances might  require.     Besides,  he  was  now  too  distant 


^Q  MARSHAL  NET. 

to  be  able  to  communicate  witli  us,  and  the  Eio-liteenth  Rea-i- 
ment  Lad  by  this  time  proceeded  some  distance.  The  general 
persisted  in  his  refusal,  and  I  could  only  obtain  his  consent  to 
lead  us  to  the  spot  where  the  Eighteenth  was  supposed  to  be, 
in  order  that  the  two  regiments  might  form  a  junction  ;  but 
the  Eighteenth  had  marched,  and  in  its  place  we  found  a 
squadron  of  Cossacks.  General  D'Henin  was  at  last  con- 
vinced of  the  justice  of  my  observations,  and  was  now  anxious 
to  rejoin  Marshal  Ney's  column  ;  but  we  had  traversed  the 
wood  in  so  many  directions  that  we  were  no  longer  sure  of 
our  road,  and  the  fires  which  we  saw  lit  on  different  sides 
only  served  to  distract  us  more.  I  will  not  undertake  to  de- 
scribe all  that  we  suffered  on  that  most  trying  night.  I  had 
not  more  than  one  hundred  men  with  me,  and  we  found  our- 
selves upward  of  a  league  in  rear  of  the  column  of  wliich  we 
should  have  formed  a  part  ;  we  had  to  rejoin  it  surrounded 
on  every  side  by  enemies  ;  we  had  to  march  with  sufficient 
rapidity  to  recover  our  lost  time,  and  with  sufficient  compact- 
ness to  resist  the  attacks  of  the  Cossacks.  The  darkness  of 
the  night,  the  uncertainty  of  our  direction,  the  difficulties 
under  such  circumstances  attending  a  march  through  woods, 
all  added  to  our  embarrassments.  The  Cossacks  were  con- 
tinually firing  into  the  midst  of  us  and  calling  upon  us  to  sur- 
render. I  had  need  of  all  my  authority  to  maintain  order  on 
the  march,  and  to  keep  every  one  in  his  place.  One  of  my 
officers  dared  hint  at  a  surrender.  I  reprimanded  hira  loudly, 
and  the  more  severely,  that  having  shown  himself  hitherto  a 
meritorious  officer,  I  was  desirous  of  rendering  ray  reprimand 
more  marked.  At  last,  at  the  expiration  of  an  hour,  we  got 
quit  of  the  woods,  and  found  the  Dnieper  on  our  left.  The 
direction  we  had  taken  was  therefore  right,  and  I  profited  by 
the  fresh  spirit  which  the  discovery  infused  to  recommend  the 
perseverance,  courage,  and  coolness  wliich  would  alone  save 
us  ;  but  we  were  yet  by  no  means  extricated  from  our  perilous 
position.  The  plain  in  which  we  marched  favored  an  attack 
by  the  enemy  in  mass,  and  enabled  him  to  avail  himself  of  his 
artillery.  From  time  to  time  the  Cossacks  advanced  toward 
us  with  loud  cries.     On  these  occasions  we  halted  a  minute  to 


MARSHAL  NET.  67 

give  our  fire,  and  immediately  resumed  our  march.  For  two 
leagues  we  traversed  tbe  most  impracticable  ground,  crossed 
ravines  whose  sides  we  ascended  with  the  utmost  difiicultj, 
and  waded  through  streams  the  half -frozen  waters  of  which 
readied  to  the  knee  ;  but  nothing  could  daunt  the  persever- 
ance of  our  soldiers  ;  the  greatest  order  was  maintained,  and 
not  a  man  quitted  the  ranks.  The  enemy  at  length  relaxed 
in  his  pursuit,  and  the  fires  which  we  descried  on  the  heights 
in  front  of  us  proved  to  be  those  of  Marshal  Ney's  rear-guard. 
They  had  halted,  and  were  now  preparing  to  resume  their 
march.  We  joined  them,  and  learned  that  the  marshal  had 
on  the  preceding  evening  marched  direct  on  the  enemy's  artil- 
lery, and  forced  a  passage  througli  them.* 

"  The  road  we  followed  led  over  an  extensive  plain,  and 
Platoff,  profiting  by  the  ground,  directed  his  field-pieces, 
mounted  on  sledges,  to  advance  against  us  ;  and  when  this 
artillery,  which  we  could  neither  get  at  nor  avoid,  had  carried 
disorder  into  our  ranks,  he  ordered  a  charge  by  his  whole 
body.  Marshal  Ney  foz-med  each  of  his  two  divisions  rapidly 
into  square.  We  obliged  by  main  force  every  straggler  who 
still  carried  a  musket  to  fall  into  the  ranks.  At  the  approach 
of  the  enemy,  and  galled  by  the  fire  of  his  artillery,  the 
soldiers  began  to  hasten  their  march  ;  but  the  presence  of 
Marshal  Ney,  the  confidence  which  he  inspired,  the  calmness 
of  his  attitude  in  the  moment  of  danger,  still  retained  them 
in  their  duty.  We  had  reached  a  height  which  the  marshal 
ordered  General  D'Henin  to  maintain,  and  there  die,  if  nec- 
essary, for  the  honor  of  France.  General  Ledru  marched  on 
the  village  of  Teolino.  When  he  had  occupied  it,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  join  him,  and  the  two  divisions  took  up  a  position 
and  afforded  each  other  a  mutual  flank  protection.  It  was 
not  yet  noon,  and  Marshal  Ney  declared  he  would  defend  the 
village  until  nine  in  the  evening.  Twenty  times  did  General 
Pla.toff  endeavor  to  wrest  it  from  us  ;  twenty  times  was  he 
repulsed,  until,  tired  out  with  such  opposition,  he  ended  with 

*  How  warmly  Marshal  Ney  must  have  welcomed  such  a  man  as 
Fezensac.  I  quote  largely  from  Fezensac's  "  Memoirs"  for  reasons  which 
will  appear  in  another  part  of  this  work. 


68  MARSHAL  NEY. 

establishing  himself  in  our  front.  The  marshal  had  in  the 
morning  sent  a  Polish  officer  (Pchebendowski,  with  fifty  horse- 
men) to  give  intelligence  of  our  proceedings  (and  to  ask  for 
assistance).  At  a  league  from  Orcha  our  advanced  guard 
challenged  an  outpost,  and  was  answered  in  French.  It  was 
a  division  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  which  with  the  Viceroy 
(Eugene)  was  on  the  march  to  our  assistance.  The  Viceroy 
was  deeply  affected,  and  loudly  proclaimed  his  admiration  of 
Marshal  Joey's  conduct.*  He  congratulated  the  generals  and 
the  two  colonels  who  survived,  Colonel  Pelleport,  of  the 
Eighteenth,  and  myself.  His  aides-de-camp  overwhelmed  us 
with  questions  on  the  details,  and  the  respective  parts  each 
had  played  in  such  eventful  scenes.  Thus  ended  this  bold 
and  adventurous  march,  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  episodes 
in  the  campaign.     It  covered  Marshal  Ney  with  glory,  "f 

When  ISTapoleon  heard  of  Marshal  Ney's  safety  he  was  sit- 
ting at  the  breakfast-table  with  some  of  his  officers.  He  fairly 
leaped  from  his  chair,  and  exclaimed  in  transports  of  joy,  "  I 
have  saved  my  eagles,  then.  I  have  three  hundred  millions 
in  my  coffers  at  the  Tuileries.  I  would  willingly  have  given 
them  all  to  save  Marshal  Ney. " 

"Well  he  might,"  says  Headley,  "and  half  his  empire 
with  it,  for  without  him  he  had  been  a  throneless  Emperor. 
As  his  eyes  fell  on  the  worn  yet  still  proud,  unconquerable 

*  "  Eugene  and  Ney  threw  themselves  into  each  other's  arms.  Eugene 
wept.  He  was  delighted,  melted,  and  elevated  at  the  sight  of  the  chival- 
rous hero  whom  he  had  just  had  the  happiness  to  succor.  Ney,  still 
heated  from  the  combat,  irritated  at  the  dangers  which  the  honor  of  the 
army  had  run  in  his  person,  severely  blamed  Davout,  whom  he  wrong- 
fully" (rightfully)  "  accused  of  deserting  him.  Some  hours  afterward, 
when  Davout  sought  to  justify  himself,  he  could  draw  nothing  from  Ney 
but  a  severe  look  and  these  words  :  '  Monsieur  le  Marechal,  I  have  no  re- 
proaches to  make  to  you;  God  is  our  witness  and  your  judge.'" — 
Segur. 

"  Ney,  though  performing  his  duty  with  a  sublime  devotion,  retained  a 
strong  feeling  of  indignation  at  the  treatment  he  had  received  in  being 
deserted,  especially  by  Davout.  When  that  marshal  left  him  on  the 
16th,  and  sent  to  warn  him  of  his  danger,  Ney  replied  :  '  All  the  Cossacks 
in  the  universe  shall  not  prevent  me  from  executing  my  instructions.'  " — 
Griswold's  "  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals." 

f  "  Souvenirs  Milifcaires,"  par  M.  Le  Due  de  Fezensac. 


MARSHAL  NET.  69 

veteran,  lie  exclaimed,  '  What  a  man  !  What  a  soldier  ! ' 
But  words  failed  to  express  his  admiration,  and  he  clasped 
the  stern  warrior  to  his  bosom,  and  embraced  him  with  all 
the  rapture  one  hero  embraces  another. ' ' 

At  Krasnoi,  at  Liadi,  at  Dombrowno,  at  Orcha,  and  all 
along  the  route  Napoleon's  thoughts  had  turned  to  Ney  as  his 
only  hope.  Every  few  moments  he  was  heard  to  murmur 
with  unconcealed  agitation,  "  And  Ney  !  And  Ney  !"  In- 
deed, the  whole  army  felt  that  Ney  alone  stood  between  them 
and  destruction.  To  Kapp  and  others  Napoleon  said,  "  Ney 
has  a  thoroughly  tempered  soul.  How  true,  how  accurate  his 
coup  d'oeil  !  How  admirable  his  military  qualities  !  What  a 
man  he  is  !  I  have  few  men  about  me  who  have  any  real 
energy,  firmness,  or  moral  force.  How  badly  am  I  served  ! 
To  whom  have  1  trusted  myself  ?  Poor  Ney  ;  with  whom 
have  I  matched  thee  ?"  * 

Later,  near  Orcha,  when  Napoleon  clasped  Ney  in  his  arms, 
he  said  to  those  around  him,  "  Better  an  army  of  deer  com- 
manded by  a  lion,  than  an  army  of  lions  commanded  by  a 
deer."  And  yet  Napoleon  had  the  meanness  to  say  at  St. 
Helena  :  "  Marshal  Ney  was  the  bravest  of  men  ;  there  ter- 
minated all  his  faculties. "  No  bigger  falsehood  could  have 
been  conceived  by  the  brain  of  man,  and  Napoleon  knew  it. 
He  flatly  contradicts  himself.  Even  Headley,  who  worships 
Napoleon,  if  any  man  ever  did  worship  another,  quotes  this 
St.  Helena  statement  only  to  condemn  it  as  unqualifiedly 
false.     Headley  says  : 

"  The  whole  history  of  Bonaparte's  career,  the  confidence 
he  everywhere  reposed  in  Ney's  sldll  as  well  as  bravery,  pro- 
nounce this  declaration  false  ;  while  the  manner  in  which  he 
managed  the  rear-guard  in  that  unparalleled  retreat  of  the 
grand  army  from  Russia,  shows  the  injustice  of  the  declaration 
in  every  way.  Something  more  than  bravery  was  needed  to 
cover  the  French  there,  and  Bonaparte  knew  it.  He  never 
placed  Ney  at  the  head  of  the  army  in  invading  Eussia,  and 
in  the  rear  when  retreating  from  it,  simply  because  he  was  a 

*  "  Memoirs  of  General  Rapp." 


70  MARSHAL  NET. 

hrave  man.  His  actions  and  statements  here  contradict  each 
other.  Bonaparte  was  the  last  man  to  estimate  the  character 
of  his  own  officers.  He  rated  all  military  leaders  low  but 
himself.  There  was  not  a  commander  among  either  the 
French  or  the  allied  forces  that  ever  did  or  ever  could  accom- 
plish what  Ney  performed  in  that  memorable  flight.  Had  he 
fallen,  Bonaparte  would  probably  have  fallen  also  ;  and  Ney 
really  saved  the  army,  which  Bonaparte  never  could  have 
done." 

These  observations  of  Headley  are  eminently  just,  and  such 
will  be  the  verdict  of  posterity.  Ney  continued  to  command 
the  rear-guard.  Bonaparte  dared  not  release  him  from  this 
post  of  danger  and  honor.  There  was  no  one  to  take  his 
place. 

"  And  he  had  been  too  much  regretted,"  says  Segur,  "  and 
his  preservation  had  excited  emotions  far  too  grateful,  to  allow 
of  any  feelings  of  envy  ;  besides,  Ney  had  placed  himself  com- 
pletely beyond  its  reach.  As  for  himself,  he  had  in  all  this 
heroism  gone  so  little  beyond  his  natural  character  that,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  eclat  of  his  glory  in  the  eyes,  the  gestures, 
and  the  acclamations  of  every  one,  he  would  never  have  im- 
agined that  he  had  performed  an  extraordinary  action." 

At  the  terrible  passage  of  the  Beresina,  Ney  again  saved  the 
army  from  destruction.*  And  it  was  almost  a  miracle  that 
he  did  save  it.  The  army  was  fearfully  encumbered  with 
superfluous  baggage  and  plunder  of  every  kind.  '^  Burn  it 
all  up,"  bluntly  said  Ney.  "No,"  replied  Berthier,  "it 
can  be  saved."  Napoleon,  strange  to  say,  agreed  with  Ber- 
thier. The  result  was  all  the  baggage,  private  carriages, 
trophies  of  Moscow,  etc.,  were  lost,  and  thirty-six  thousand 
persons  found  their  graves  at  the  bottom  of  the  Beresina,  It 
is  impossible  to  account  for  the  Emperor's  illusions.  General 
Eble,  an  engineer  officer  of  great  skill  and  judgment,  told 
Kapoleon  that  six  days  would  scarcely  be  sufficient  for  so  many 
carriages  and  so  much  baggage,  plunder,  etc. ,  to  pass  over. 

*  "  This  illustrious  soldier,  who  had  saved  the  Third  Corps  at  Krasnoi, 
now  saved  on  the  banks  of  the  Beresina  the  whole  army,  and  the  Emperor 
himself." — "  Memoirs  of  the  Due  de  Fezensac." 


MARSHAL  NET.  71 

"  Ney,"  says  Segur,  "  immediatelj  called  out  that  they  had 
better  be  burned  immediately  ;  but  Berthier,  instigated  by  the 
demon  of  courts,  opposed  this  ;  he  assured  his  sovereign  that 
the  army  was  far  from  being  reduced  to  that  extremity,  and 
the  Emperor  was  led  to  believe  him." 

On  December  5th,  at  Smorgoni,  Napoleon  quitted  the  army, 
and  set  out  immediately  for  Paris.  "  Why, "  said  he  to  Daru, 
"  should  I  remain  at  the  head  of  a  routed  army  ?  Murat  and 
Eugene  will  be  sufficient  to  direct  it,  and  Ney  to  cover  the 
retreat,  I  will  soon  return  with  fresh  forces  to  the  assistance 
of  the  grand  army.  I  have  no  time  to  lose,  and  must  leave 
at  once."  After  Napoleon  left  Ney  was  practically  the  com- 
mander of  the  army.  He  was  the  only  one  whose  orders  were 
obeyed,  and  who  maintained  any  discipline  among  his  troops. 
Murat,  whom  Napoleon  in  his  blindness  apjDointed  command- 
er-in-chief, was  utterly  inefficient.  !No  one  paid  any  atten- 
tion to  his  orders,  and  he  fled  disgracefully  irom  his  post. 
The  whole  army  leaned  upon  Ney  as  their  rock  of  salvation. 

"Murat,"  says  Griswold,  "fled  in  consternation;  he  was 
seen  forcing  his  way  through  the  crowd  from  his  palace  and 
from  Wilna,  without  giving  any  orders,  but  leaving  every- 
thing in  the  hands  of  Ney."  But  Ney's  spirit  was  unbroken 
and  unbent,  and,  like  a  god,  he  bore  the  burden  that  was  put 
upon  him.  Rear-guard  after  rear-guard  melted  away  before 
him,  but  as  fast  as  one  disappeared  he  would  form  another, 
each  one  smaller  than  the  preceding,  until  it  was  finally  re- 
duced to  sixty  men  ;  but  he  saved  the  army  and  the  Empire. 
Nothing  could  conquer  him.  He  grew  stronger  instead  of 
weaker.  At  Kowno  he  rose  to  the  highest  pitch  of  soldierly 
greatness.     Fezensac  says  : 

"  "We  were  now  ordered  to  defend  Kowno.  It  was  the  last 
proof  of  courage  and  devotion  we  were  called  upon  to  ofi'er. 
We  expected  to  be  buried  beneath  its  ruins.  To  the  credit 
of  officers  and  soldiers  let  it  be  added,  that  the  order  was 
obeyed  without  a  murmur^  and  that  not  a  man  quitted  Ms 
post  in  so  critical  a  juncture.^     As  regarded  myself,  I  beheld 

*  This  does  not  agree  with  the  accounts  of  Segur,  Scott,  and  others,  but 
Fezensac  was  there,  and  his  word  cannot  be  doubted. 


72  MARSHAL  NET. 

with  admiration  the  heroic  perseverance  of  Marshal  Ney,  and 
congratulated  myself  on  being  called  on  to  second  his  last 
efforts.  We  again  took  possession  of  onr  quarters.  .  .  . 
Marshal  Ney  still  prolonged  his  defence  of  Kowno,  not  only 
to  give  time  to  all  those  unfortunate  people"  (stragglers,  dis- 
banded men,  etc.)  "  to  get  clear  of  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
but  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  King  of  Naples,  who  had  on 
the  evening  before  taken  the  road  to  Konigsberg  by  Gum- 
binnen.  Two  pieces  of  cannon,  supported  by  some  companies 
of  Bavarian  infantry,  were  disposed  on  the  ramparts,  and  this 
small  number  were  now  prepared  to  receive  the  enemy's  at- 
tack. Marshal  Ney,  having  made  his  dispositions,  retired  to 
his  quarters  to  seek  some  rest.  He  had  scarcely  quitted  us 
when  firing  commenced.  The  first  discharge  of  the  Russian 
artillery  dismounted  one  of  our  guns  ;  the  infantry  took  to 
flight,  and  the  artillery  prepared  to  follow.  There  was  noth- 
ing to  prevent  the  Cossacks  from  entering  the  city,  when  the 
marshal  suddenly  appeared  on  the  ramparts.  We  had  been 
well-nigh  ruined  by -his  absence  ;  his  presence  was  sufficient 
to  retrieve  all.  He  took  a  musket  in  his  hand,  and  the  troops 
returned  to  their  post,  renewed  the  combat,  and  sustained  it 
till  nightfall,  when  the  retreat  was  continued.  We  crossed  the 
Niemen,  and  imagined  that  we  were  safe,  but  the  Cossacks 
had  preceded  us  and  gotten  in  our  front ;  they  had  placed 
their  artillery  in  position  on  the  heights  before  us,  and  had 
thus  closed  the  road.  This  last  and  sudden  attack,  as  the 
most  unexpected,  was  that  which  exercised  the  greatest  effect 
on  the  soldiers'  minds.  It  was  useless  to  attempt  a  passage 
by  force.  Our  firelocks  had  become  unserviceable,  and  those 
who  carried  them  refused  to  advance.  Despair  seized  every 
heart,  and  our  destruction  appeared  certain.  It  was  now  that 
Marshal  Ney  again  made  his  appearance  among  us.  Without 
evincing  the  slightest  uneasiness  at  our  desperate  condition, 
his  prompt  decision  in  the  field  saved  us  once  more — the  pre- 
server to  the  last  of  all  that  was  left  to  preserve." 

Segur  says  :  "At  Kowno,  as  it  had  been  after  the  disasters 
of  Wiasma,  of  Smolensko,  of  the  Beresina,  and  of  Wilna,  it 
was  to  Ney  that  the  honor  of  our  arms  and  all  the  peril  of  the 


MARSHAL  NET.  73 

last  steps  of  our  retreat  were  again  confided.  When  some  of 
his  soldiers  left  him,  he  collected  their  muskets,  became  a 
common  soldier,  and  with  only  four  others  kept  facing  thou- 
sands of  the  enemy,  constantly  fighting,  retreating,  but  never 
flying,  marching  after  all  the  others,  supporting  to  the  last 
moment  the  honor  of  our  arms,  and  for  the  hundredth  time 
during  the  last  forty  days  and  forty  nights  putting  his  life 
and  liberty  in  jeopardy  to  save  a  few  more  Frenchmen. 
Finally,  he  was  the  last  of  the  grand  army  that  quitted  that 
fatal  Russia,  exhibiting  to  the  world  the  impotence  of  for- 
tune against  unconquerable  courage,  and  proving  that  with 
heroes  everything  turns  to  glory,  even  the  greatest  dis- 
asters." 

"  At  length"  (General  Count  Dumas)  "  we  were  out  of 
that  accursed  country,  the  Russian  territory.  The  Cossacks 
no  longer  pursued  us  with  the  same  ardor.  In  proportion  as 
we  advanced  into  the  Prussian  territory  we  found  better  quar- 
ters and  more  resources.  The  first  place  at  which  we  were 
able  to  take  breath  was  Wilkowiszki,  and  the  next  Gumbinnen, 
when  I  put  up  at  the  house  of  a  physician,  which  I  had  occu- 
pied when  I  passed  through  the  town  before.  Some  excellent 
coffee  had  just  been  brought  us  for  breakfast,  when  a  man  in 
a  great  brown  coat  entered  ;  he  had  a  long  beard,  his  face  was 
blackened,  and  looked  as  if  it  were  burnt  ;  his  eyes  were  red 
and  brilliant.  '  At  length  I  am  here, '  said  he.  '  Why,  Gen- 
eral Dumas,  don't  you  know  me  ?  '  '  No  ;  who  are  you, 
then  ?  '  '  1  am  the  rear-guard  of  the  grand  army.  I  have 
fired  the  last  musket-shot  on  the  bridge  of  Kowno.  I  have 
thrown  into  the  Niemen  the  last  of  our  arms,  and  have  come 
hither  through  the  woods.  I  am  Marshal  Ney. '  I  leave  you 
to  imagine  with  what  respectful  eagerness  we  welcomed  the 
hero  of  the  Russian  retreat." 

And  yet  Napoleon  says  Marshal  Ney  was  a  brave  man,  and 
nothing  more.  Could  any  slander  be  more  heartless,  more 
impudent,  more  shameless  ?  Life  is  too  short  to  discuss  such 
a  question. 

Ney  continued  faithful  to  Napoleon.  At  the  battle  of 
Lutzen  (May  2d,  1813)  he  was  foremost  and  chief  est  in  the 


74  MARSHAL  NET. 

fight.  In  fact,  his  persistent  and  powerful  attacks  in  the  cen- 
tre at  Kaya  alone  gave  Napoleon  the  victory.  He  commanded 
the  Fourth  and  the  Seventh  corps,  composed  chiefly  of  con- 
scripts, but  these  young  soldiers  fought  like  veterans.  Indeed, 
Ney  said  they  were  better  than  the  old  soldiers.*  Ney  had 
moulded  them  to  his  hand,  for  they  had  been  under  his  charge 
for  the  past  four  months. 

Napoleon  was  surprised  at  Lutzen,  but  Ney,  by  his  prompt- 
ness, quickness,  energy,  and  perseverance  saved  him  from  a 
terrible  defeat.  Napoleon  was  trying  to  outflank  his  enemies, 
and  his  enemies  surprised  him,  and  came  very  near  ruining 
him.  They  attacked  with  the  utmost  violence  and  determina- 
tion Na23oleon's  centre  at  Kaya,  and  if  Ney  had  not  stemmed 
the  torrent,  as  no  other  man  perhaps  could  have  stemmed  it, 
the  grand  army  would  have  been  annihilated.  At  the  battle 
of  Bautzen,  Napoleon's  combinations  were  all  but  faultless, 
and  his  victory  correspondingly  great.  Here,  as  at  Lutzen, 
Ney  rendered  the  most  important  service.  On  the  evening 
of  May  20tli,  Ney,  with  sixty  thousand  men,  crossed  the  river 
Spree  at  Klix,  and  early  the  next  morning  fell  upon  the  flank 
of  the  allied  army  as  Napoleon  attacked  it  in  front.  It  was  a 
diflacult  and  perilous  operation,  but  Ney  exhibited  great  pru- 
dence and  skill,  and  routed  the  enemy  at  every  point.  This 
was  one  of  Napoleon's  greatest  victories,  the  importance  of 
which  could  hardly  be  overestimated,  and  to  Ney  certainly 
was  due  no  inconsiderable  share  of  the  glory.  He  had  practi- 
cally an  independent  command,  was  entirely  separated  from 
Napoleon,  and  compelled  to  rely  upon  his  own  judgment  on 
a  "  vast,  complicated,  and  unknown  field."  Yet  all  his  dis- 
positions were  made  with  exemplary  coolness  and  prudence, 
and  he  gained  one  of  the  finest  victories  of  his  life. 

Still  Jomini,   a  pure  cobweb  general,  says  Ney's  victory 

*  Ney's  conscripts  were  first  brought  iato  action  at  Weissenfels,  April 
29tli.  In  the  marshal's  hands  they  exhibited  the  valor  and  steadiness  of 
old  soldiers.  They  repulsed  the  repeated  assaults  of  the  enemy  with  great 
spirit  and  even  gayety,  Thiers  says  "  with  imperturbable  good  humor." 
Ney  was  charmed  with  his  conscripts,  and  praised  them  to  the  Emperor  in 
the  most  enthusiastic  manner. 


NEY  STATUE  AT  METZ. 


MAliSUAL  NET.  75 

would  have  been  still  greater  if  he  had  followed  his  advice. 
Heaven  save  us  ! 

Napoleon  was  also  surprised  at  Dresden.  While  he  was 
hotly  pursuing  Bliieher,  who  eluded  him  constantly,  purf>osely 
drawing  Xapoleon  away  from  his  base,  Schwarzenberg,  with 
the  main  body  of  the  allied  army,  suddenly  advanced  upon 
Dresden.  This  city,  which  Napoleon  had  carefully  fortified 
during  the  armistice  of  Pleiswitz,  was  defended  by  Marshal 
St.  Cyr  with  about  twenty  thousand  men.  The  allies  num- 
bered about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men.  They 
reached  Dresden  on  the  morning  of  August  25th,  and  if  they 
had  attacked  St.  Cyr  at  once,  or  at  any  time  during  the  da}', 
or  before  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  they  would  undoubtedly 
have  overwhelmed  him  and  destroyed  Napoleon's  lines  of 
communication  with  France  ;  but  they  foolishly  delayed  the 
attack  until  four  o'clock  the  next  morning.  In  a  few  hours 
they  had  swept  everything  before  them,  and  St.  Cyr  was 
about  to  surrender,  when  Napoleon  was  seen  advancing  rap- 
idly to  his  relief. 

Napoleon  had  no  idea  that  Dresden  would  be  attacked,  and 
he  was  astonished  when  information  was  brought  him  that 
Schwarzenberg  in  large  force  had  appeared  before  the  heights 
of  that  city.  He  repaired  thither  with  all  haste,  and  arrived 
just  in  time  to  save  St.  Cyr  from  an  unconditional  surrender. 
Had  the  allies  attacked  the  day  before,  as  they  ought  to  have 
done.  Napoleon  would  have  been  utterly  ruined.  No  one 
can  deny  this.  Napoleon  in  turn  assumed  the  offensive,  and 
gained  a  decisive  victory.  Ney  and  Murat  were  the  chief 
actors  in  this  struggle.  They  fought  with  courage  and  skill 
under  the  most  disadvantangeous  circumstances,  and  were 
everywhere  victorious.     Here  Moreau  was  killed. 

At  Dennewitz  (September  6th)  Ney  was  defeated  by  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Sweden.  He  lost  in  killed,  wounded,  pris- 
oners, and  deserters  more  than  fifteen  thousand  men,  and 
about  twenty-five  pieces  of  cannon.  This  defeat  is  to  be 
attributed  to  three  causes  :  First,  the  bad  conduct  of  Ney's 
chief  ofiScers  ;  second,  the  peculiar  composition  of  his  troops  ; 
and,  third,  to  Napoleon  himself.     Napoleon  had  recently  suf- 


76  MABSHAL  NET. 

fered  very  grave  losses.  On  the  29 th  and  30th  General  Yan- 
damme,  who,  after  the  battle  of  Dresden,  had  been  sent  in 
pursuit  of  the  flying  enemy,  encountered  the  Russian  General 
Ostermann  and  others  between  Kulin  and  Toplitz,  and  was 
utterly  defeated.  Vandamme's  loss  was  very  great — six  thou- 
sand killed  and  wounded,  eight  or  ten  thousand  prisoners,  and 
forty-eight  guns.  Yandamme  himself  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  his  fine  corps  of  thirty  thousand  men  was  almost  entirely 
dispersed.  On  the  very  day  that  the  battle  of  Dresden  was 
fought  (26th)  Bliicher  attacked  Marshal  Macdonald  in  the  plains 
of  the  Katzbach,  and  defeated  him  with  great  loss.*  Marshal 
Oudinot  had  fared  little  better.  He  met  Bernadotte  at  Gross- 
Beeren  on  the  23d,  and  the  Crown  Prince  completely  routed 
him,  with  the  loss  of  several  thousand  men  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners.  General  Girard  was  defeated  at  Leibnitz  on 
the  27th,  losing  six  guns,  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  all  his 
baggage. 

Such  disasters,  in  the  light  of  Napoleon's  recent  victories  at 
Lutzen,  Bautzen,  and  Dresden,  were  simply  appalling,  and 
the  Emperor  endeavored  to  repair  his  losses  by  despatching 
Ney  at  the  head  of  fifty-two  thousand  menf  to  check  the 
progress  of  Bernadotte,  and,  if  possible  "  to  plant  his  eagles 
on  the  walls  of  BerKn.''  Ney's  troops  consisted  of  three 
corps — Fourth  (Bertrand),  Seventh  (Regnier),  and  Twelfth 
(Oudinot).  These  soldiers  were  for  the  most  part  of  an  in- 
ferior quality.  They  consisted  chiefly  of  foreigners,  who 
cared  little  for  Napoleon  and  his  empire,  and  of  young,  raw 
French  conscripts,  who  had  already  become  tired  of  the  seem- 

*  Bliicher  issued  the  following  high-sounding  address  :  "  Soldiers,  Silesia 
is  delivered.  Your  bayonets  and  the  nervous  strength  of  your  arm  drove 
your  enemies  down  the  steeps  of  the  raging  Neisse  and  the  Katzbach. 
One  hundred  and  three  pieces  of  cannon,  two  hundred  and  fifty  tumbrils, 
the  camp  hospital  of  the  enemy,  his  provisions,  a  general  of  division,  two 
generals  of  brigade,  a  great  numbei*  of  colonels,  staff,  and  other  officers, 
eighteen  thousand  prisoners,  two  eagles,  and  other  trophies  have  fallen 
into  your  hands.  Let  us  sing  praises  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  by  whose  help 
you  have  overthrown  your  enemies,  and  return  thanks  to  Him  who  has 
given  us  the  victory." 

f  Thiers  gives  this  number. 


MARSHAL  NET.  77 

ingly  endless  struggle  in  which  Napoleon  was  engaged.  In- 
deed, the  inorale  of  the  entire  army  was  seriously  impaired  by 
the  recent  defeats. 

Marshal  Oudinot  was  deeply  wounded  because  he  was  com- 
pelled to  serve  under  Marshal  Ney.  He  felt  that  Napoleon 
was  trying  to  disgrace  him  in  presence  of  the  whole  army 
because  of  his  defeat  at  Gross-Beeren,  and  he  was  mad  with 
Napoleon,  Ney,  and  everybody  else.  Regnier  was  an  officer 
of  ability,  but  he  was  full  of  conceit,  and  believed  himself 
superior  to  Oudinot,  Ney,  and  even  Napoleon  himself.  Ber- 
trand  was  a  flat-headed  incompetent,  who,  but  for  the  extreme 
softness  and  pliability  of  his  character,  would  never  have  been 
given  an  important  command  of  any  kind.  He  did  not  like 
Ney,  though  Napoleon  was  his  god. 

The  movement  which  Ney  was  ordered  to  execute  was  one 
of  extreme  delicacy  and  difficulty.  He  himself,  generally  so 
daring  and  hopeful,  had  little  confidence  in  the  final  result. 
He  had  to  perform  a  protracted  flank  movement  with  demoral- 
ized men  and  officers,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  largely  superior 
force  commanded  by  an  officer  of  rare  ability  (Bernadotte). 
Under  such  circumstances  it  was  all  but  impossible  for  Ney  to 
perform  the  duty  assigned  him.  Still,  he  would  have  done 
so  but  for  the  mistake,  inefiiciency,  or  treachery  of  Bertrand,* 
and  the  delay  of  Oudinot  to  march  to  the  field  of  battle, 
owing  mainly  to  Regnier's  gross  disobedience  of  orders,  but 
partly  to  Oudinot's  own  indifference  and  sulkiness.  One  of 
these  causes  alone  in  so  critical  and  dangerous  a  manoeuvre 
would  have  been  fatal  ;    as  it  was,   Ney  was  simply  over- 

*  "  The  troops  of  the  Crown  Prince  lay  to  the  left,  and  the  marshal's 
object  was  to  avoid  any  encounter  with  the  enemy,  throw  himself  on  the 
road  from  Torgau  to  Berlin,  and  enter  into  communication  with  reinforce- 
ments from  Dresden  ;  but  it  was  found  necessary  to  pass  by  Dennewitz, 
where  Tauenstein  was  stationed,  and  who  might  give  the  alarm  to  the 
other  corps  of  the  enemy.  On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  therefore,  Bertrand 
was  sent  forward  to  attack  Tauenstein  and  draw  off  his  attention,  while 
Ney  with  the  rest  of  the  army  pushed  rapidly  by  without  being  brought 
to  action  ;  but  Bertrand  having  made  his  appearance  too  early,  notice  was 
given  to  the  allied  troops  in  the  neighborhood,  and  before  Ney  arrived 
they  were  ready  to  dispute  the  passage  with  him.  The  engagement  con- 
sequently became  jreneral. "— Hazlitt's  "  Napoleon." 


78  MARSHAL  NET. 

whelmed.  His  Saxon  troops  under  Bertrand  deserted  him, 
and  his  army  was  broken  and  routed.  Xej  did  all  that  any 
man  could  have  done.  jSTapoleon  did  not  blame  him.*  He 
no  doubt  felt  that  he  himself  was  largely  responsible  for  Ney's 
defeat,  f     Ney  himself  wrote  to  Napoleon  as  follows  : 

"  It  is  impossible  to  derive  any  advantage  from  the  Fourth, 
Seventh,  and  Twelfth  corps  d'armee  in  the  present  state  of 
their  organization  ;  each  of  the  generals-in-chief  does  nearly 
what  he  judges  most  for  his  own  safety.  Things  have  come 
to  such  a  pass  that  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  keep  my  ground. 
The  moral  condition  of  the  generals  and  the  other  officers  is 
singularly  shaken,  the  power  of  command,  therefore,  is  very 
imperfect,  and  I  had  rather  be  a  grenadier.  I  pray  your 
Majesty  to  deliver  me  from  this  hell.  I  think  1  need  not 
speak  of  my  devotion.  1  am  ready  to  shed  all  my  blood  pro- 
vided it  be  with  some  profitable  results.  The  presence  of  the 
Emperor  can  alone  restore  order  and  unity. ' ' 

And,  again,  on  September  23d,  he  wrote  to  Napoleon  :  "It 
is  impossible  to  obtain  obedience  from  General  Regnier  ;  he 
will  not  execute  the  orders  which  he  receives.  The  foreign 
troops  of  all  nations  manifest  the  worst  spirit,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  cavalry  with  me  is  not  more  injurious  than 
useful," 

Marshal  Macdonald  also  wrote  a  similar  letter  to  Napoleon. 
In  the  important  operations  preceding  the  battle  of  Leipsic, 

*  See  "  Memoirs  of  Marshal  St.  Cyr." 

St.  Cyr  blames  Napoleon  for  Ney's  defeat.  The  Emperor,  he  says,  was 
altogether  mistaken  as  to  the  character,  composition,  and  nvimber  of  the 
troops  which  Ney  had  to  encounter,  and  the  orders  which  he  gave  him 
could  not  be  executed. 

"  On  September  5th  Marshal  Oudinot  had  received  at  Seyda  the  order  to 
leave  in  the  morning  with  the  Twelfth  Corps,  to  direct  himself  upon 
Oehna,  but  only  after  the  Seventh  Corps  (Regnier's)  should  have  passed 
before  the  Twelfth.  Regnier  (the  italics  are  mine)  having  taken  another 
way,  Oudinot,  toho  expected  this  passage,  did  not  leave  for  Seyda  till  between 
nine  and  ten  in  the  morning." — "  Memoirs  of  Due  de  Fezensac. " 

Ney  certainly  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  the  defeat  at  Deunewifcz. 

•f- See  Scott's  "  Napoleon,"  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co.,  1881,  p.  600;  "Sou- 
venirs Militaires,"  par  M.  le  Due  de  Fezensac,  Paris,  1863,  p.  442,  note  at 
bottom  ;  Hazlitt's  "  Napoleon,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  175. 


MARSHAL  NET.  79 

Key's  energy,  vigilance,  and  prudence  were  of  the  greatest 
benefit  to  Napoleon.  Even  Thiers  admits  this.  He  out- 
manoeuvred Bernadotte  and  Bliicher,  and  at  Diiben,  Worlitz 
and  Dessau  dealt  the  enemy  some  vigorous  and  effective 
blows.  Napoleon  committed  some  fearful  mistakes  at  Leip- 
sic,  and  for  several  days  preceding  the  battle.  Thej'^  came 
very  near  ruining  him.  But  for  Key's  powerful  exertions,  it 
is  difficult  to  see  how  Kapoleon  could  have  effected  his  retreat 
from  Leipsic.  Bernadotte  and  Bliicher  would  have  crushed 
him,  especially  on  the  third  day,  in  this  great  "battle  of  kings. " 

The  campaign  of  1814,  as  brief  as  it  was,  reflects  more 
credit  upon  Kapoleon  than  any  other  part  of  his  military 
career.*  In  my  opinion  it  is  far  superior  to  his  Italian  cam- 
paign. He  was  warmly  seconded  by  his  officers  and  men,  but 
to  no  one  was  he  so  much  indebted  for  his  magnificent  vic- 
tories as  to  the  "bravest  of  the  brave."  Key  must  share 
largely  in  the  glory  of  this  campaign.  He  was  peerless  at 
Brienne,  Montmirail,  Craonne,  Laon,  Etouvelles,  Arcis,  and 
other  places.  At  Craonne  and  Laon  especially  he  accom- 
plished with  the  young,  ill-trained  conscripts  what  no  other 
officer  could  have  accomplished.  But  human  endurance  has 
its  limit.  France  was  exhausted,  and  Paris  surrendered  on 
March  31st. 

Key  and  the  other  marshals,  seeing  that  further  resistance 
was  useless,  advised  Kapoleon,  who  was  then  at  Fontainebleau, 
to  abdicate  as  the  only  means  of  saving  France.  Some  writers 
affirm  that  Key's  language  to  Kapoleon  was  very  rough  and 
unbecoming.  Thiers  says  it  was  not.  So  do  Kapoleon  and 
Caulaincourt.  Kapoleon  after  much  indecision  consented  to 
abdicate.  Key,  Caulaincourt,  and  Macdonald  were  appointed 
to  negotiate  with  the  allied  powers.  Key  and  Macdonald 
pleaded  with  soldierly  eloquence  the  cause  of  Kapoleon's  son, 
and  a  regency  under  the  Empress.  Key's  speech  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  Emperor  Alexander,  and  he  was 
about  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  Kapoleon's  commissioners, 

*  Though  his  movement  in  rear  of  the  allies  on  March  21st  was  an  inex- 
cusable blunder.  It  ruined  him.  While  he  was  gone  the  allies  took  pos- 
session of  Paris. 


80  MARSHAL  NET 

when  General  Dessolles  and  others  interfered  with  rudeness 
and  violence,  and  finally  succeeded  in  turning  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  from  his  good  intentions. 

IS'ey,  Caulaincourt,  and  Macdonald  returned  with  sad  hearts 
to  Fontainebleau,  and  on  April  6th  Napoleon  signed  an  uncon^ 
ditional  abdication.  ]^ey  now  made  his  submission  to  the 
provisional  government,  and  afterward  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  Louis  XVIII.  The  king  received  him  with  much 
kindness,  and  loaded  him  with  the  highest  honors  ;  but  JSTey 
was  not  happy.     His  forced  inaction  did  not  suit  him. 

"  He  was  too  old,"  says  an  elegant  writer,  "  to  acquire  new 
habits.  Plain  in  his  manners,  and  still  plainer  in  his  words, 
he  neither  knew  nor  wished  to  know  the  art  of  pleasing 
courtiers.  The  habit  of  braving  death  and  of  commanding 
vast  bodies  of  men  had  impressed  his  character  with  a  species 
of  moral  grandeur  which  raised  him  far  above  the  puerile  ob- 
servances of  the  fashionable  world.  Of  good  nature,  indeed, 
he  had  a  considerable  fund,  but  he  showed  it  not  so  much  by 
the  endless  little  attentions  of  a  gentleman,  as  by  scattered 
acts  of  princely  beneficence.  The  sobriety  of  his  manners 
was  extreme,  even  to  austerity.  His  wife  had  been  reared  in 
the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  had  adorned  that  of  the  Em- 
peror. Cultivated  in  her  mind,  accomplished  in  her  manners, 
and  elegant  in  all  she  said  or  did,  her  society  was  courted 
on  all  sides.  Her  habits  were  expensive  ;  luxury  reigned 
throughout  her  apartments  and  presided  at  her  board  ;  and  to 
all  this  display  of  elegance  and  pomp  of  show,  the  military 
simplicity  of  the  marshal  furnished  a  striking  contrast.  His 
good  nature  ofPered  no  other  obstacle  to  the  gratification  of 
her  wishes  than  the  occasional  expression  of  a  fear  that  his 
circumstances  might  be  deranged  by  them  ;  but  if  he  would 
not  oppose,  neither  could  he  join  in  her  extravagance.  While 
she  was  presiding  at  a  numerous  and  brilliant  party  of  guests, 
he  preferred  to  remain  alone  in  a  distant  apartment,  where 
the  festive  sounds  could  not  reach  him.  On  such  occasions 
he  almost  always  dined  alone.  Ney  seldom  appeared  at  court. 
He  could  neither  bow  nor  flatter,  nor  could  he  stoop  to  kiss 
even  his  sovereign's  hand  without  something  like  self-hiimilia- 


MARSHAL  NET.  81 

tioii.  To  liis  princess,  on  the  other  hand,  tlie  royal  smile  was 
necessary  as  the  light  of  the  sun  ;  and,  unfortunately  for  her, 
she  was  sometimes  disappointed  in  her  efforts  to  attract  it. 
Her  wounded  vanity  often  beheld  an  insult  in  what  was  prob- 
ably no  more  than  an  inadvertence.  She  complained  to  her 
husband,  and  he  with  a  calm  smile  advised  her  never  again  to 
expose  herself  to  such  mortifications  if  she  really  sustained 
them  ;  but  though  he  could  thus  rebuke  a  woman's  vanity, 
the  haughty  soldier  felt  his  own  wounded  through  hers.  To 
escape  these  complaints,  and  from  the  monotony  of  his  Parisian 
existence,  he  retired  to  his  country-seat  in  January,  1815,  the 
very  season  when  people  of  consideration  are  most  engrossed 
by  the  busy  scenes  of  the  metropolis.  There  he  led  an  un- 
fettered life  ;  he  gave  his  mornings  to  field  sports,  and  the 
guests  he  entertained  in  the  evening  were  such  as,  from  their 
humble  condition,  rendered  formality  useless,  and  placed  him 
completely  at  his  ease,"  * 

Ney  was  thus  living  on  his  beautiful  estate  near  Chateaudun, 
when,  on  March  6th,  he  received  an  order  from  the  Minister 
of  War  (Marshal  Soult)  to  join  his  division  (Sixth)  at  Besan- 
gon,  and  there  await  further  orders.  Ney  rode  immediately 
to  Paris  and  sought  and  obtained  an  interview  with  the  king. 
Upon  leaving,  I^ey  kissed  the  king's  hand,  and,  in  an  "  effu- 
sion of  loyalty,"  promised  to  bring  Bonaparte  to  Paris  in  an 
iron  cage  ;  but  instead  of  capturing  or  opposing  Napoleon, 
Ney  joined  him  with  his  entire  army,  and  thus  destroyed  the 
last  hope  of  Bourbon  resistance. 

Up  to  March  14tli  Ney  protested  his  loyalty  to  the  king. 
He  said  Bonaparte's  invasion  was  an  act  of  madness,  and  that 
it  was  impossible  for  him  to  succeed  ;  but  at  Lons-le-Saulnier 
his  mind  underwent  a  complete  change.  During  the  night  of 
the  13th  he  received  letters  from  General  Bertrand,  stating 
that  Napoleon's  success  was  assured  ;  that  everything  had  been 
arranged  beforehand  ;  that  the  Emperor  had  received  the 
secret  submission  of  every  regiment  in  the  service  ;  that  he 
was  acting  in  conceit  with  Austria  and  England  ;  that  General 

*  "  Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte." 


82  MARSHAL  NET. 

Kohler  had  come  to  Elba  on  tlie  part  of  Count  Metternich  ; 
that  Napoleon  had  dined  on  an  English  vessel  in  company 
with  several  French  generals ;  that  Marshal  Soult,  the  War 
Minister,  had  promised  him  his  support ;  that  the  Empress 
Marie  Louise  and  her  son  were  already  on  the  way  to  Paris  ; 
that  the  whole  country  had  risen  up  to  welcome  him,  and  that 
if  he  persisted  in  his  insane  attempt  to  oppose  him,  he  would 
be  responsible  for  all  the  horrors  of  a  civil  war.*  Ney's  own 
troops  had  manifested  a  bad  spirit.  They  had  no  heart  for 
fighting  their  old  Emperor,  and  their  murmurs  and  threats 
even  were  growing  deep  and  loud.  The  spirit  of  disaffection 
was  spreading  everywhere,  and  Key  felt  that  he  could  not 
resist  the  torrent.  "I  cannot,"  said  he,  "keep  back  the 
ocean  with  my  hand." 

On  the  14th  he  read  a  proclamation  to  his  troops  (sent  to 
him,  he  said,  by  Bertrand)  announcing  that  the  "  cause  of  the 
Bourbons  was  forever  lost, "  and  that  the  Emperor  JSTapoleon 
was  the  legitimate  sovereign  of  France.  "Soldiers,"  said 
he,  "  I  have  often  led  you  to  victory  ;  I  am  now  going  to 
conduct  you  to  that  immortal  phalanx  which  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  is  conducting  to  Paris,  where  it  will  be  in  a  few 
days,  and  then  our  hope  and  happiness  will  be  forever  re- 
alized." 

The  idea  of  a  civil  war  horrified  the  marshal,  and  he  felt 
that  it  would  be  better  to  direct  the  torrent  than  to  be  swept 
away  by  it.  "  You  are  babies,"  said  he  to  those  who  blamed 
him  for  his  course.  "  I  was  obliged  to  choose  either  one  party 
or  the  other.  Could  1  hide  like  a  coward,  shunning  the  re- 
sponsibility of  events  ?  It  is  necessary  to  take  a  decided  part 
at  once  in  order  to  avert  civil  war,  and  to  get  a  hold  upon  the 
man  who  is  about  to  become  again  our  ruler,  and  to  prevent 
him  from  committing  new  follies,  for  I  do  not  pretend  to  give 
myself  to  a  man,  but  to  France  •  and  if  he  should  wish  to  lead 
us  again  to  Moscow,  I  shall  not  follow  him." 

Ney  met  the  Emperor  at  Auxerre.  Napoleon  received  him 
very  graciously,  embraced  him,  petted  him,  and  called  him 

*  See  "  Le  Marechal  Ney,  le  Soldat,"  etc.;  "Life  of  Marshal  Ney," 
by  Welscliinger. 


MARSHAL  NET.  83 

the  "  bravest  of  the  brave."  !Ney  said  to  the  Emperor  that 
he  might  always  rely  upon  him  when  the  welfare  of  his  coun- 
try was  at  stake  ;  that  his  blood  had  often  flowed  for  France, 
and  for  France  he  was  prepared  to  shed  it  to  the  last  drop. 
"  But  times,"  continued  the  marshal,  "  have  changed.  The 
people  are  tired  of  war,  and  wish  only  for  liberty  and  peace." 
I^apoleon  replied  that  it  was  patriotism  alone  which  had 
brought  him  back  to  France.  "  In  my  island  home  I  learned 
that  my  people  were  unhappy,  and  I  came  to  deliver  them 
from  the  Bourbon  yoke,  and  to  give  them  all  that  they  expect 
from  me." 

Much  other  conversation  occurred  between  these  illustrious 
warriors  which  I  cannot  relate.  Napoleon  and  Ney  each  in- 
dulged in  a  good  deal  of  gush.  Napoleon  reached  Paris  on 
March  20th,  and  a  few  days  afterward  he  sent  Ney  to  Lille  to 
inspect  the  northern  fortresses,  to  regulate  the  civil  and  mili- 
tary authorities,  to  conciliate  the  malcontents,  and  to  pave  the 
way  generally  for  the  new  regiyne.'^ 

On  June  12th,  a  little  before  daybreak,  Napoleon  started 
on  his  last  campaign.  As  he  threw  himself  into  his  carriage 
he  remarked,  "I  go  to  measure  myself  with  Wellington." 
On  the  eve  of  his  departure  he  sent  an  order  to  Ney  to  "  join 
the  army  at  once  if  he  wished  to  see  the  first  battle." 

Since  the  marshal's  return  from  the  north  he  had  stayed 
quietly  at  home,  refraining  almost  entirely  from  the  pleasures 
of  the  imperial  court.  He  was,  as  he  afterward  said,  a  miser- 
able man,  and  he  wished  to  avoid  the  public  eye  as  much  as 
possible.  At  the  ceremony  of  the  Field  of  Mars,  Ney  ap- 
peared with  the  other  marshals  as  one  of  the  Emperor's  hon- 
orary escort.  When  Napoleon  saw  him,  he  said  to  him  in  a 
tone  of  ill-humor,  "I  thought  you  had  emigrated."  "I 
ought  to  have  done  so,"  replied  Ney,  "  biit  it  is  now  too 
late."  Napoleon's  conduct  in  waiting  almost  until  the  last 
moment  of  his  departure  before  ordering  Ney  to  join  the 

*  "  Ney,  notwithstanding  his  characteristic  faults,  was  extremely  shrewd 
with  regard  to  ever3rthing  connected  with  his  profession,  and  was  most 
useful  on  the  frontier." — Thiers'  "Consulate  and  Empire,"  vol.  v., 
p.  485. 


84  MARSHAL  NET. 

army  has  been  universally  condemned.  His  stancliest  sup- 
porters can  find  no  excuse  for  it.  Hon.  John  C.  Ropes,  of  Bos- 
ton, an  able  historian  and  a  great  admirer  of  Napoleon,  says  : 

"  It  seems  like  an  unpardonable  oversight,  to  say  the  least. 
As  such  ]^ey  certainly  regarded  it.  ]^ey  was  given  no  time 
for  preparation  ;  it  was  only  by  the  exercise  of  great  diligence 
that  he  reached  the  front  when  he  did,  and  that  was  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  after  the  Sambre  had 
been  crossed.  He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First 
and  Second  corps,  commanded  by  Counts  D'Erlon  and  Reille 
respectively  ;  but  he  was  ignorant  of  their  organization,  and 
had  even  to  learn  the  names  of  the  division  commanders.  It 
is  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  understand  this  strange  neglect 
of  Kapoleon.  No  one  knew  better  than  he  how  important  it 
is  that  the  commander  of  an  army  or  of  a  wing  of  an  army 
should  have  ample  time  to  know  his  troops  and  to  be  known 
by  them,  and  that  this  was  especially  necessary  where  a  re- 
organization had  recently  taken  place."* 

Ney  himself  says  :  "  On  June  11th  1  received  an  order 
from  the  Minister  of  War  to  repair  to  the  imperial  presence. 
1  had  no  command  and  no  information  upon  the  composition 
and  strength  of  the  army.     Neither  the  Emperor  nor  his  min- 

*  "  Campaign  of  Waterloo,"  1893. 

"  Key  arrived  at  headquarters  witliout  any  staff,  confidential  ofiicers, 
aides-de-camp,  equipage  or  horses,  and  had  received  the  unexpected 
command  of  numerous  corps,  whose  positions  he  scarcely  knew,  in  a 
country  which  had  been  effaced  from  his  memory  for  twenty  years.  He 
was  equally  unacquainted  with  the  general  ofiicers  who  commanded  these 
different  corps.  Some  days  were  necessary  to  enable  him  to  study  the 
ground,  the  troops,  and  the  characters  he  had  to  deal  with." — Lamartine's 
"  History  of  the  Restoration." 

"  On  leaving  Paris,  Napoleon  had  sent  him  [Ney]  word  to  join  him  as 
quickly  as  possible  if  he  wished  to  be  present  at  the  first  battle.  Ney  re- 
ceived this  message  so  late  that  he  had  only  time  to  take  with  him  his 
aide-de-camp,  Heymes,  and  set  out  for  Maubeuge  without  any  military 
equipage.  .  .  .  The  marshal  arrived  knowing  nothing  of  the  state  of 
affairs,  ignorant  of  what  position  he  was  to  take,  and  of  what  troops  he 
was  to  command.  Though  not  possessing  all  the  calmness  of  mind  neces- 
sary in  difficult  positions,  because  of  the  discontent  he  felt  with  himself 
and  others,  his  extraordinary  energy  was  never  greater  than  at  that 
moment." — Thiers'  "  Consulate  and  Empire." 


MARSHAL  NET.  85 

ister  had  given  me  any  previous  hint,  from  which  1  could 
anticipate  that  1  should  be  employed  in  the  present  campaign. 
I  was  consequently  taken  by  surprise,  without  horses,  without 
accoutrements,  and  without  money,  and  I  was  obliged  to  bor- 
row the  necessary  expenses  of  my  journey.  Having  arrived 
on  the  12th  at  Laon,  on  the  13th  at  Avesnes,  and  on  the  11th 
at  Beaumont,  I  purchased  in  this  last  town  two  horses  from 
the  Due  de  Trevise,  with  which  I  repaired  on  the  15th  to 
Charleroy,  accompanied  by  my  first  aide-de-camp,  the  only 
officer  who  attended  me.  I  arrived  at  the  moment  when  the 
enemy,  attacked  by  our  troops,  was  retreating  upon  Fleurus 
and  Gosselies.  The  Emperor  ordered  me  immediately  to  put 
myself  at  the  head  of  the  First  and  Second  corps  of  infantry, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant-Generals  D'Erlon  and  Reille,  of 
the  division  of  light  cavalry,  of  Lieutenant-General  Pir^,  of 
the  division  of  light  cavalry  of  the  guard  under  the  command 
of  Lieutenant-General  Lefebvre-Desnouettes  and  Colbert, 
and  of  two  divisions  of  cavalry  of  Count  de  Valmy,  forming 
in  all  eight  divisions  of  infantry  and  four  of  cavalry.  With 
these  troops,  a  part  of  which  only  I  had  as  yet  under  my  im- 
mediate command,  1  pursued  the  enemy,  and  forced  him  to 
evacuate  Gosselies,  Frasnes,  Millet,  Hepignies.  There  they 
took  up  a  position  for  the  night,  with  the  exception  of  the 
First  Corps,  which  was  still  at  Marchiennes,  and  which  did 
not  join  me  till  the  following  day."  * 

Napoleon's  neglect  to  summon  Key  to  join  the  army  till 
the  eve  of  hostilities  is  simply  inexplicable.  There  is  no  tell- 
ing what  effect  this  egregious  blunder  had  upon  the  entire 
campaign.  It  certainly  does  throw  a  good  deal  of  light  upon 
some  subsequent  events.  At  St.  Helena  Napoleon  said  that 
on  the  evening  of  the  15th  he  ordered  Ney  to  occupy  Quatre 
Bras,  and  to  fortify  it  against  the  English.  Ney,  he  said, 
failed  to  execute  his  order,  and  thus  seriously  deranged  his 
plans.  Quatre  Bras  was,  of  course,  a  very  important  point. 
Four  roads  (as  its  name  imports)  meet  here,  and  through  it 
ran  the  main  line  of  communication  between  Wellington  and 

*  Letter  to  Fouche,  Duke  of  Otranto,  June  26th,  1815. 


86  MARSHAL  NEY. 

Bliiclier.  Colonel  Heymes,  who  was  with  Ney  when  he  re- 
ceived his  instructions  from  JSTapoleon,  says  emphatically  that 
the  Emperor  did  not  order  ISTey  to  occupy  Quatre  Bras  ;  that 
his  language  was,  "  Push  the  enemy  /"  ]^ot  a  word  was  said 
about  the  occupation  of  Quatre  Bras.* 

Marshal  Soult,  in  1829,  told  Ney's  son  and  Colonel  Heymes 
that  the  "  Emperor  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  occupying 
Quatre  Bras  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  and  gave  no  orders  to 
that  effect. "  IS'ey  himself,  in  his  letter  to  Fouche,  says  in  sub- 
stance that  he  had  no  orders  to  occupy  Quatre  Bras  on  the 
15th.  "  On  the  IGth,"  he  said,  "  I  received  orders  to  attack 
the  English  in  their  position  at  Quatre  Bras."  If  he  had  re- 
ceived instructions  of  this  kind  on  the  15th  he  would  have 
said  so.f 

]^ey  "  pushed"  the  enemy  in  accordance  with  the  order 
which  Bonaparte  had  given  him,  and  on  the  evening  of  the 
15th  he  drove  the  Prussians  from  Gosselies,  Hepignies,  Mil- 
let, and  Frasnes.  A  portion  of  Joey's  troops  took  up  their 
quarters  at  Frasnes  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Frasnes  is 
but  two  and  one  half  miles  from  Quatre  Bras.  Ney  gained 
some  important  advantages  by  these  vigorous  and  well-directed 
movements,  and  but  for  Napoleon's  blind,  unaccountable 
neglect,  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  the  results  would 

*  Capefigue  says  Bonaparte's  only  instructions  to  Ney  on  the  15th  were, 
"  Push  the  enemy  !" 

Quinet,  an  able  and  impartial  historian,  says  emphatically  that  Ney 
never  received  orders  to  occupy  Quatre  Bras  on  the  15th. — "  Histoire  de 
la  Campagne  de  1815." 

f  Thiers  labors  hard  to  prove  that  Napoleon  ordered  Ney  to  occupy 
Quatre  Bras  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  but  his  arguments  are  exceed- 
ingly flimsy.     Indeed,  he  answers  himself  before  he  gets  through. 

Hon.  John  C.  Ropes  ("  Campaign  of  Waterloo,"  1892)  says  in  effect  no 
one  now  doubts  that  Napoleon  ordered  Ney  to  occupy  Quatre  Bras  on  the 
evening  of  the  15th. 

In  1888  (see  Scribiier's  Magazine,  "Campaign  of  Waterloo")  Mr.  Ropes 
uses  this  language  :  "  That  Ney  received  from  the  Emperor  during  the 
15th  or  at  the  midnight  conference  orders  to  press  on  to  Quatre  Bras,  no 
one  now  believes. ' ' 

I  quote  Mr.  Ropes  against  Mr.  Ropes. 

Count  de  Flahaut  sustains  Colonel  Heymes,  Marshal  Soult,  and  Edgar 
Quinet. 


MARSHAL  NEY. 

(From  an  old  Pen-and-ink  Sketch.; 


MARSHAL  NET.  87 

have  been  much  more  valuable.  Colonel  J.  F.  Maurice,  R.  A., 
completely  vindicates  Ney  from  the  charges  of  inefficiency 
and  disobedience  of  orders  which  Napoleon  brought  against 
him  at  St,  Helena.  Colonel  Maurice  shows  conclusively  that 
whatever  errors  were  committed  on  the  loth  and  16th  were 
directly  traceable  to  Kapoleon  himself.* 

On  the  16th  Key  attacked  Wellington  at  Quatre  Bras.  It 
was  a  fierce  and  sanguinary  encounter.  Ney  handled  his 
troops  perhaps  better  than  any  other  man  could  have  handled 
them,  and  the  Iron  Duke,  notwithstanding  his  dogged  resist- 
ance, would  most  certainly  have  been  defeated  if  Kapoleon 
had  not  at  the  critical  moment  deliberately  taken  away  Xey's 
reserve  of  twenty  thousand  men,  troops  which  ISTapoleon  had 
given  to  Ney  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  the  Enghsh  Army.f 
It  really  seems  (to  say  the  least)  that  Napoleon  was  indifferent 
to  Ney's  success.  As  it  was,  Wellington  was  on  the  very 
brink  of  disaster.  If  Ney  had  had  just  one  half  of  his  re- 
serve, Wellington  would  have  suffered  a  serious  reverse.  No 
one  can  deny  that. 

At  Waterloo  Ney  fought  his  last  battle.  It  was  worthy  of 
his  genius  and  his  fame.  He  went  down  with  the  Old  Guard, 
but  he  went  down  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  Napoleon  blamed 
Ney  and  Grouchy  for  his  defeat,  but  he  had  no  one  to  blame 
but  himself.  He  never  ordered  Grouchy  to  come  to  Water- 
loo, and  he  didn't  expect  him  to  come.  Most  of  Napoleon's 
St.  Helena  history  is  pure  fiction.  I  have  read  his  orders  to 
Grouchy  with  a  great  deal  of  care,  and  in  no  instance  did  he 
command  Grouchy  to  come  to  Waterloo.  As  Colonel  Maurice 
says,  "  Napoleon,  at  St.  Helena,  invented  orders  which  were 
never  sent.":}:     As  to  Ney,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  his 

*  See  articles  on  Waterloo,  United  Sermce  Magazine,  1890  and  1891. 

Every  student  of  Napoleon's  last  campaign  ought  to  read  these  articles. 

See,  too,  Siborne's  "  History  of  the  War  in  France  and  Belgium  in 
1815,"  London,  1844,  and  "  History  of  the  Campaign  of  Waterloo,"  by 
Colonel  Charras. 

f  Napoleon  had  also  ordered  Ney  to  spare  the  guard. 

X  United  Service  Magazine,  1890  and  1891.  See  also  "  The  Campaign  of 
Waterloo,"  Appendix  A,  John  Codman  Ropes,  New  York,  1892,  and 
Vaulabelle,  "  Campaign  and  Battle  of  Waterloo,"  Paris,  1845. 


88  MARSHAL  NET. 

great  military  qualities  never  shone  with  brighter  lustre  than 
on  this  terrible  and  fatal  day.  If  Napoleon  had  done  his  part 
as  well  as  Ney  did  his,  the  French  army  would  not  have  been 
annihilated.  Late  in  the  afternoon  Ney  captured  La  Haye 
Sainte,  a  strongly  fortified  farm-house  on  the  Brussels  road. 
No  one  but  Ney  could  have  taken  it  ;  and  Bonaparte  well 
knew  it.  It  was  the  key  to  the  English  centre,  scarcely  three 
hundred  yards  from  Wellington's  line  of  battle.  The  duke's 
position  was  extremely  critipal.  He  was,  as  is  well  known, 
in  a  state  of  intense  anxiety  ;  but  Napoleon  failed  to  support 
Ney,  and  he  was  eventually  driven  from  this  important  point. 
The  last  charge  of  the  Old  Guard  was  terrific.  Napoleon  led 
them  on  for  a  short  distance  as  if  he  were  going  to  head  the 
charge,  but  when  he  reached  a  hollow  which  in  some  degree 
shielded  him  from  the  English  fire,  he  stopped,  harangued  his 
troops  impetuously,  gave  the  command  to  Ney,  and  remained 
in  the  hollow.  Headley  thinks  Bonaparte  was  not  lacking  in 
personal  courage.*    He  says  : 

"  Bonaparte  has  been  blamed  for  not  heading  this  charge 
himself  ;  but  he  knew  he  could  not  carry  that  guard  so  far, 
nor  hold  them  so  long  before  the  artillery,  as  Ney.  The 
moral  power  the  latter  carried  with  him  was  worth  a  whole 
division.  .  .  .  Bonaparte  committed  himself  and  France  to 
Ney,  and  saw  his  Empire  rest  on  a  single  charge.  Ney  felt 
the  pressure  of  the  immense  responsibility  on  his  brave  heart, 
and  resolved  not  to  prove  unworthy  of  the  great  trust  com- 
mitted to  him.  Nothing  could  be  more  imposing  than  the 
movement  of  that  grand  column  to  the  assault.  That  guard 
had  never  yet  recoiled  before  a  human  foe,  and  the  allied  forces 
beheld  with  awe  its  firm  and  terrible  advance  to  the  final 
charge.  Rank  after  rank  went  down,  yet  they  neither  stopped 
nor  faltered.  Dissolving  squadrons,  and  whole  battalions  dis- 
appearing one  after  another  in  the  destructive  fire,  affected 
not  their  steady  courage.  The  ranks  closed  up  as  before,  and 
each  treading  over  his  fallen  comrade,  pressed  firmly  on.  The 
horse  which  Ney  rode  fell  under  him,  and  he  had  scarcely 

*  Marshal  Macdonald  thinks  he  was.      See  "  EecoUections"  of  Mac- 
donald,  p.  246. 


MARSHAL  NEY.  89 

mounted  another  before  it  also  sunk  to  the  earth.  Again  and 
again  did  that  unflinching  man  feel  his  steed  sink  down,  till 
ji/oe  had  been  shot  under  him.  Then,  with  his  uniform 
riddled  with  bullets,  and  his  face  singed  and  blackened  with 
powder,  he  marched  on  foot  with  drawn  sword  at  the  head  of 
his  men.  In  vain  did  the  artillery  hurl  its  storm  of  lire  and 
lead  into  that  living  mass.  Up  to  the  very  muzzles  they 
pressed,  and  driving  the  artillerymen  from  their  own  pieces, 
pushed  through  the  English  lines  ;  but  at  that  moment  a  file 
of  soldiers  who  had  lain  flat  on  the  ground  behind  a  low  ridge 
of  earth  suddenly  rose  and  poured  a  volley  in  their  very 
faces.  Another  and  another  and  another  followed,  till  one 
broad  sheet  of  flame  rolled  on  their  bosoms,  and  in  such  a 
fierce  and  unexpected  flow  that  human  courage  could  not 
withstand  it.  They  reeled,  shook,  staggered  back,  then  turned 
and  fled.  Ney  was  borne  back  by  the  refluent  tide  and  hur- 
ried over  the  field  ;  but  for  the  crowd  of  fugitives  that  forced 
him  on,  he  would  have  stood  alone,  and  fallen  in  his  footsteps. 
As  it  was,  disdaining  to  fly,  though  the  whole  army  was  flying, 
he  formed  his  men  into  two  immense  squares,  and  endeavored 
to  stem  the  terrific  current,  and  would  have  done  so  had  it 
not  been  for  the  thirty  thousand  fresh  Prussians  that  pressed 
on  his  exhausted  ranks.  For  a  long  time  these  squares  stood, 
and  let  the  artillery  plough  through  them  ;  but  the  fate  of 
Napoleon  was  writ,  and  though  I^ey  doubtless  did  what  no 
other  man  in  the  army  could  have  done,  the  decree  could  not 
be  reversed.  The  star  that  had  blazed  so  brightly  over  the 
world  went  down  in  blood,  and  the  '  bravest  of  the  brave  ' 
had  fought  his  last  battle.  It  was  worthy  of  his  great  name, 
and  the  charge  of  the  Old  Guard  at  Waterloo,  with  him  at 
their  head,  will  be  pointed  to  by  remotest  generations  with  a 
shudder."  * 

Ney  remained  upon  the  field  a  considerable  time  after  Bona- 
parte had  quitted  it.f     He  was  perhaps  the  last  man  to  leave. 

*  "  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals." 

f  "  I  arrived  at  Marchiennes-au-pont  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
(19th)  alone,  without  any  officers  of  my  staff,  ignorant  of  what  had  become 
of  the  Emperor,  who,  before  the  end  of  the  battle,  had  entirely  disap- 


90  MARSHAL  NET. 

"  I  was  constantly  in  the  rear-guard,"  said  he,  "  which  I  fol- 
lowed on  foot."  *  The  rout  was  complete.  Bonaparte  and 
his  army  and  his  empire  perished  in  one  day.  Wellington 
and  Bliicher  marched  to  Paris,  and  in  a  few  days  the  city 
capitulated,  and  a  new  regime  began.  The  king  entered 
Paris  on  July  9th. 

ISTey,  though  protected  by  the  capitulation,  was  wisely  ad- 
vised by  Fouche  and  others  to  leave  Paris  for  awhile,  and  to 
retire  to  some  foreign  country.  Ney  accordingly  quitted 
Paris  under  an  assumed  name,  furnished  with  a  passport  and 
perhaps  money  by  the  Duke  of  Otranto.  He  started  to 
Switzerland,  with  the  intention  ultimately  to  escape  to  the 
United  States  ;  but  when  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  Alps  he 
suddenly  changed  his  mind,  and  took  refuge  with  one  of  his 
wife's  relatives  at  the  chateau  of  Bessonis,  in  the  mountains 
of  Auvergne.  Here  he  remained  for  several  weeks,  "  when 
one  of  those  acts  of  imprudence"  (I  quote  from  Lamartine) 
"  which  are  the  snares  of  security,  excited  a  suspicion  in  the 
neighboring  town  of  Aurillac  that  some  illustrious  outlaw  had 
taken  shelter  in  the  chateau  of  Bessonis.  The  marshal  had 
formerly  received,  as  a  present  from  Napoleon,  a  Turkish 
sabre,  one  of  the  Egyptian  spoils,  the  peculiar  form  and  rich 
decoration  of  which  attracted  every  eye.f  This  weapon 
always  accompanied  him  as  a  souvenir  and  a  witness  of  his 
glory.  Having  one  day  exhibited  it  to  the  admiration  of  his 
hosts,  he  forgot  to  take  it  back  to  his  chamber,  and  left  it 
carelessly  in  the  drawing-room.  A  country  neighbor,  on  pay- 
ing a  visit  at  the  chateau,  perceived  the  weapon,  and  was 

.peared,  and  who,  I  was  allowed  to  believe,  might  be  either  killed  or  taken 
prisoner." — Ney  to  Fouche. 

*  "  Ney  displayed  unexampled  heroism,  and  his  bravery  seemed  to  sur- 
pass the  capabilities  of  mere  man.  He  was  the  last  that  descended  from 
the  plateau  of  Mount  St.  Jean." — Thiers'  "  History  of  the  Consulate  and 
the  Empire." 

\  Napoleon  had  presented  the  sabre  to  Ney  at  the  time  of  the  marshal's 
marriage,  July  26th,  1802.  It  belonged  to  a  Pacha  who  was  killed  at  the 
'battle  of  Aboukir. 

"  Cette  arme,  dont  Ney  jura  de  ue  se  separer  qu'avec  la  vie  devait  treize 
.ans  plus  tard  etre  I'indice  fatal  qui  le  livrerait  a  ses  ennemis." — Nouvelle 
JBiograpliie  Generale. 


MARSHAL  NET.  91 

struck  by  its  magnificence.  "Without  any  idea  of  doing  mis- 
chief he  spoke  of  the  Turkish  sabre  he  had  seen  a  few  days 
after  in  the  town  of  Aurillac,  and  described  it  minutely. 

"  One  of  the  idlers  who  listened  to  him,  and  who  had  a  taste 
for  and  a  knowledge  of  handsome  arms,  exclaimed  that  there 
were  only  two  such  sabres  in  the  world,  those  of  Murat  and 
of  Marshal  Ney.  This  conversation  awoke  conjectures  in 
some  who  were  present,  which  at  length  reached  the  ears  of 
the  prefect.  This  functionary,  being  acquainted  with  the 
relationship  between  the  family  of  Bessonis  and  that  of  iN'ey, 
no  longer  entertained  any  doubt  that  the  unknown  guest  of 
the  chateau  was  the  marshal  himself.  He  therefore  sent  a 
detachment  of  gendarmes,  under  the  command  of  an  officer, 
to  surprise  the  chateau,  and  to  bring  away  the  suspected 
stranger.  At  break  of  day  the  gendarmes  surrounded  the 
chateau  ;  the  officer  commanding  the  detachment  and  eigh- 
teen men  of  his  brigade  entered  the  court-yard.  The  tramp- 
ing of  the  horses,  the  noise  of  arms,  and  the  alarm  of  the 
people  of  the  house  awoke  the  marshal.  He  could  still,  how- 
ever, fly  by  stealing  into  the  woods  through  the  gardens,  but 
he  was  weary  of  opposing  his  destiny  ;  he  appeared  at  the 
window,  and  addressing  the  commandant  of  the  gendarmes, 
he  loudly  declared  who  he  was,  ordered  the  doors  to  be 
opened,  and  stepping  from  his  chamber  said  to  the  gen- 
darmes :  *I  am  Michel  Ney,'  and  accompanied  them  with- 
out resistance  to  Aurillac.  He  was  there  treated  with  respect 
by  the  prefect.  His  guards  were  withdrawn,  he  was  only  re- 
quired to  give  his  word  not  to  escape,  and  he  was  sent  to 
Paris  under  the  superintendence  of  two  officers.  In  passing 
through  the  cantonments  of  the  Army  of  the  Loire,  he  might 
have  allowed  himself  to  be  carried  off  by  his  soldiers.  Gen- 
eral Excelmans  offered  to  deliver  him,  but  he  refused,  that 
he  might  not  forfeit  his  word,"  * 

IS'ey  was  imprisoned  within  the  damp  and  gloomy  walls  of 
the  Conciergerie,  and  treated  with  great  indignity.  His  trial 
for  high  treason  began  on  November  Tth.    He  was  defended 

*  "  History  of  the  Restoration." 


92  MARSHAL  NET. 

by  Dupin  and  Berryer,  two  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  France. 
The  court-martial  before  which  he  was  brought  was  composed 
of  seven  members,  among  whom  were  Marshals  Jourdan,  Mas- 
sena,  Augereau,  and  Mortier.  Ney's  counsel  objected  to  the 
court  as  incompetent.  ISTey  was  a  peer,  and  they  contended 
that  in  accordance  with  the  constitution  he  could  be  tried  only 
by  the  Chamber  of  Peers.  The  court  held  that  this  objection 
was  valid,  and  the  case  was  accordingly  transferred  to  the 
Chamber  of  Peers.  The  trial,  or  rather  the  mockery  of  a 
trial,  began  anew  on  ]!^ovember  21st.  There  was  abundant 
evidence  to  show  that  Ney  remained  loyal  to  the  king  until 
March  lith,  when,  seeing  the  general  defection  around  him, 
and  feeling  that  further  resistance  was  useless,  he  read  that 
unfortunate  proclamation,  declaring  that  the  cause  of  the 
Bourbons  was  irretrievably  lost.  The  strongest  point  made 
by  his  counsel  was  that  N"ey  was  protected  by  the  capitulation 
of  Paris.  This  argument,  indeed,  was  unanswerable.  There 
was  but  one  way  to  meet  it,  and  that  was  to  reject  the  evi- 
dence altogether.  "  We  cannot  allow  it,"  said  the  President, 
Jeffreys  II.,  "  the  capitulation  is  the  work  of  foreigners.  It 
can  have  no  weight  in  a  French  court.  I  interdict  the  de- 
fenders of  the  accused  from  making  any  use  of  i\\Q  pretended 
convention  of  July  Sd." 

Dupin,  as  a  last  resort,  rose  and  said  :  "  The  marshal  is  not 
only  under  the  protection  of  the  French  laws,  but  under  the 
protection  of  the  laws  of  nations.  I  speak  not  of  the  conven- 
tion, but  of  the  limits  traced  by  the  treaty  of  I^ovember  20th, 
which  certainly  is  an  act  solemn  and  legal,  which  we  may  in- 
voke, since  it  is  to  that  we  owe  the  happy  peace  we  now  en- 
joy. The  treaty  of  November  20th,  in  tracing  a  new  line 
around  France,  has  left  on  the  right  Saar-Louis,  the  birth- 
place of  the  marshal.  The  marshal,  therefore,  Frenchman  as 
he  is  in  heart,  is  no  longer  a  Frenchman  since  the  treaty." 

Marshal  Ney  here  interrupted  his  counsel,  and  said  with 
much  emotion  :  "  Yes,  I  am  a  Frenchman,  and  I  will  die  a 
Frenchman.  I  thank  my  counsel  for  what  they  have  done 
for  me  and  are  ready  to  do,  but  I  forbid  them  from  saying  a 
word  more,  unless  they  are  permitted  to  make  use  of  all  the 


MARSHAL  NET.  93 

means  in  their  power.  I  had  rather  not  be  defended  at  all 
than  have  the  mere  shadow  of  a  defence.' '  These  words  pro- 
duced a  deep  impression  upon  the  auditors,  and  for  some 
moments  not  a  word  was  spoken  hj  any  member  of  the  court. 

At  length  M.  Bellart,  the  prosecuting  officer,  rose  and  said, 
"  "We  have  a  right,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  refute  the  captious 
means  which  have  been  resorted  to  ;  but  since  the  marshal 
renounces  all  further  defence,  we  renounce  the  right  of  re- 
ply." He  sat  down.  The  farce  was  ended.  Key  was  con- 
victed of  high  treason,  and  sentenced  to  the  full  punishment 
of  death.  Marshal  N^ey  was  not  present  w^hen  the  sentence 
was  pronounced,  and  the  secretary,  M.  Cauchy,  was  instructed 
to  notify  him  of  it. 

The  following  account  of  the  marshal's  last  night  in  the 
Luxembourg  prison  is  taken  from  the  reports  of  the  trial  and 
execution,  published  at  the  time  :*  "  The  marshal,  upon  re- 
turning to  his  prison,  while  the  peers  were  deliberating  upon 
his  fate,  appeared  to  be  sustained  by  a  feeling  of  deep  resolu- 
tion. He  asked  for  dinner,  and  ate  with  a  good  appetite. 
He  thought  that  a  small  knife  was  the  object  of  attention  and 
uneasiness  to  the  persons  charged  to  guard  him.  '  Do  you 
think, '  said  he,  on  looking  at  them,  '  that  I  fear  death  ?  '  and 
then  threw  the  knife  some  distance  from  him.  After  dinner 
he  smoked  a  cigar  tranquilly,  and  then  lay  down  and  slept  for 
a  couple  of  hours.  The  marshal  was  in  a  sound  sleep  when 
M.  Cauchy  repaired  to  him  to  read  his  sentence.  Before  he 
proceeded  to  read  it,  he  attempted  to  address  some  kind  words 
to  the  marshal,  to  testify  how  painful  it  was  to  him  to  be 
forced  to  discharge  so  sad  a  duty.  '  Sir, '  said  the  marshal, 
stopping  him,  '  1  am  grateful  to  you,  but  do  your  duty  ;  every 
one  must  do  his  duty — read.'  Upon  the  preamble  being  read 
he  said  impatiently,  '  To  the  fact^  to  the  fact  at  once  ! '  The 
secretary  read  on  conscientiously,  word  for  word,  the  long 
enumeration  of  the  names,  titles,  rank,  and  dignities  by  which 
the  sentence  designated  the   condemned   man.      JS^ey  again 

*  See  also  "  Histoire  Complete  du  Proces  du  Marechal  Ney,"  Dumoulin  ; 
"  Vie  du  Marechal  Ney,"  Maiseau  ;  and  "  Memoirs"  of  Count  de  Roche- 
chouart. 


94  MARSHAL  NET. 

stopped  him.  *  What  good  can  this  do  ?  Say  simply  Michael 
Ney,  and  soon  a  little  dust. '  As  the  secretary  was  about  to 
leave,  the  marshal  asked  him  at  what  hour  the  execution  was 
to  take  place.  '  At  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning, '  rephed 
M.  Cauchy,  bowing,  as  if  ashamed  of  the  shortness  of  the 
time  doled  out  to  him  for  his  preparation.  '  And  my  wife 
and  children,  can  I  embrace  them  for  the  last  time  ? '  This 
M.  Cauchy  was  authorized  to  promise  him.  '  Well,  then,  let 
them  come  at  five  o'clock,  but  do  not  speak  of  my  condemna- 
tion. Let  my  wife  learn  it  only  from  myself,  who  alone  can 
soften  its  horrors  to  her.'  M.  Cauchy  promised  that  this 
precaution  should  be  taken  with  his  family.  He  then  retired, 
and  the  marshal,  throwing  himself  in  his  clothes  on  the  bed, 
wrapped  his  cloak  around  his  head,  and  fell  asleep,  as  if  on 
the  bivouac  and  ready  for  action.  About  five  o'clock  Madame 
Ney,  with  her  four  sons,  and  Madame  Gamot,  her  sister, 
arrived  at  the  prison.  The  marshal,  who  adored  this  young 
and  charming  companion  of  his  happy  days,  received  her 
fainting  in  his  arms,  and  with  difficulty  restored  her  with  his 
tears  and  kisses.  Then,  taking  his  four  young  sons  upon  his 
knees,  and  pressing  them  to  his  heart,  he  uttered  to  them  in 
a  low  voice  those  last  sad  words  by  which  a  father  transfuses 
the  purest  portion  of  his  soul  into  the  memory  of  his  children. 
"  Madame  Gamot  prayed  aloud,  and  endeavored  to  console 
by  turns  the  father,  the  mother,  and  the  children.  The  mar- 
shal, M'ho  had  solaced  his  heart  with  the  sight  and  farewell 
endearments  of  all  that  he  loved  upon  earth,  maintained  suffi- 
cient coolness  to  deceive  his  wife  and  withdraw  her  from  the 
agony  of  his  last  moments,  by  imparting  a  hope  to  her  which 
he  did  not  feel  himself.  He  flattered  her  with  the  idea  that 
the  heart  of  the  king  might  still  be  overcome  by  the  sight  of 
her  grief  and  the  energy  of  her  prayers.  He  thus  succeeded 
in  withdrawing  himself  from  her  arms,  and  the  suppliants 
were  conducted  amid  the  darkness  to  the  gates  of  the  palace, 
where  the  king  and  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme  were  still 
sleeping.  In  vain.  There  was  no  hope.  At  ten  o'clock  the 
Duke  de  Duras  informed  Madame  Ney  that  her  husband  had 
ceased  to  live.     The  marshal  had  not  lain  down  again  after 


MARSHAL  NET.  95 

the  last  embraces  of  his  wife  and  the  sobbing  of  his  children. 
He  had  dried  up  his  own  tears  that  he  might  no  longer  think 
of  anything  but  the  dignity  of  his  death.  He  wrote  his  will  ; 
then,  rising  from  his  chair,  he  walked  about  his  chamber,  ex- 
changing with  great  composure  a  few  words  with  his  guard- 
ians. One  of  them,  a  grenadier  of  La  Rochejaquelein,  said  to 
him,  '  Marshal,  in  your  situation,  should  you  not  think  of 
God  ?  I  have  seen  many  battles,  and  every  time  1  could  I 
confessed  myself,  and  found  myself  always  the  better  for  it. ' 
The  marshal  regarded  him  with  interest  for  a  few  moments, 
and  then  said,  '  Comrade,  I  believe  you  are  right.  I  am  no 
woman,  but  I  believe  in  God  and  in  another  life.  One  should 
die  as  a  Christian.  1  wish  to  see  the  curate  of  St.  Sulpice.' 
The  curate  of  St.  Sulpice  was  immediately  sent  for.  He  re- 
sponded to  the  summons  at  once,  and  remained  with  the  mar- 
shal nearly  three  quarters  of  an  hour."  At  nine  o'clock  Ney 
left  his  prison.  At  twenty  minutes  past  nine  o'clock  (accord- 
ing to  the  accepted  historical  account)  he  was  publicly  exe- 
cuted, at  the  back  of  the  Luxembourg  gardens,  as  a  traitor  to 
his  country  and  his  king. 

"A  truer  patriot,"  says  Headley,  "never  shed  his  blood 
for  his  country.  If  France  never  has  a  worse  traitor,  the  day 
of  her  betrayal  will  be  far  distant,  and  if  she  has  no  worse 
defender,  disgrace  will  never  visit  her  armies." 

Says  Colonel  Napier,  in  speaking  of  Key's  death,  ''  Thus 
he  who  had  fought  jive  hundred  hattles  for  France,  not  one 
against  her,  was  shot  as  a  traitor."* 

But  was  Marshal  Key  executed,  as  history  states  ?  I  do 
not  believe  that  he  was.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  give  the  rea- 
sons for  my  belief. 

*  See  also  "  Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte  ;"  "  Le  Marechal  Ney,  le 
Soldat,"  etc.;  Alison's  "History  of  Europe;"  Capefigue,  "  Les  Cent 
Jours  ;"  Lamartine,  "  History  of  the  Restoration." 


PART    II. 

WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED! 


CHAPTER   I. 

On  the  15tli  day  of  November,  1846,  in  Rowan  County, 
N.  C,  died  Peter  Stuart  Ney.  Many  persons  believed  then, 
as  many  believe  now,  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney  of  France, 
who,  through  the  aid  of  the  soldiers  detailed  to  execute  him, 
escaped  death  and  came  to  the  United  States.  I  myself  be- 
lieve that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  The  circumstances  attending 
his  alleged  execution  (elsewhere  narrated)  strongly  point  to  a 
probable  escape.  He  had  all  the  characteristics  of  Marshal 
!Ney.  He  was  a  masterful  man.  Wherever  he  went  he  ruled 
as  an  uncrowned  king.  He  was  like  Marshal  JSTey  in  person 
— in  feature,  in  complexion,  in  voice,  in  expression,  in  car- 
riage, in  mind,  in  character,  in  habits,  in  taste,  in  tempera- 
ment, in  manner — in  peculiarities  of  every  kind.  The  hand- 
writing of  P,  S.  Ney  is  strikingly  like  that  of  Marshal  Ney, 
and  yet  unlike  it  in  the  sense  of  deliberate  imitation.  He  was 
recognized  as  Marshal  Ney  by  several  persons  of  character 
who  had  known,  or  had  often  seen.  Marshal  Ney  in  France  or 
other  portions  of  Europe.  P.  S.  Ney  himself,  in  seasons  of 
great  trouble  and  distress,  solemnly  declared  to  a  few  devoted 
friends,  in  whom  he  had  the  fullest  confidence,  that  he  was 
Marshal  Ney.  In  his  last  illness,  a  few  hours  before  his 
death,  perfectly  calm  and  rational,  he  said  to  his  attending 
physician  and  others  who  had  asked  him  to  tell  them  who  he 
was  :  "I  am  Marshal  Ney  of  France." 

And  no  man  could  be  farther  from  crankiness  or  imposture. 


98  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Honest,  manly,  warm-hearted,  clear-headed,  plain,  practical, 
he  was  loved  and  honored,  nay,  reverenced  by  all  who  knew 
him.  He  had  but  one  vice — he  sometimes  drank  to  excess. 
But  this  bad  habit  never  mastered  him.  It  did  not  seriously 
interfere  with  his  ordinary  duties.  It  never  in  the  slightest 
degree  impaired  the  great,  the  almost  boundless  influence 
which  he  exercised  over  all  persons  who  were  brought  into 
association  with  him.  Occasionally,  when  stirred  by  intoxi- 
cants, he  would  publicly  declare  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney. 
Everything  considered,  we  must  attach  much  force  to  the  old 
saying,  "  In  vino,  Veritas.'^''  On  all  other  occasions  he  would 
repel  with  firmness  and  dignity,  sometimes  with  severity,  all 
who  approached  him  upon  the  svibject  of  his  identity  with 
Marshal  Ney.  His  intimate  knowledge  of  Napoleon — of  his 
military  operations,  of  his  genius  and  talents,  his  character, 
his  habits,  his  plans,  his  intentions,  his  private  life — his  bound- 
less affection  for  Napoleon,  his  intimate  knowledge  of  men 
and  things  in  general  connected  with  the  Napoleonic  era  ;  his 
keen  and  constant  interest  in  everything  that  related  to  the 
hfe  and  character  and  fame  of  Marshal  Ney — these  prove 
that  he  was  an  officer  of  the  highest  rank,  very  near  the  person 
of  Napoleon,  and  in  all  probability  Marshal  Ney  himself. 
There  are  many  other  circumstances  of  a  strongly  corrobora- 
tive character. 

But  history  says  that  Marshal  Ney  was  shot  to  death  by 
French  bullets.  No  fact  appears  to  be  more  firmly  established. 
If  Marshal  Ney  was  not  shot,  say  the  unbelieving  critics,  then 
all  history  must  be  a  lie.  No.  All  history  is  not  a  lie  ;  but 
very  much  of  what  is  called  history  is  the  biggest  sort  of  a  lie. 
What  is  history  \  It  is  said  to  be  a  record  of  past  events. 
But  who  makes  the  record  ?  A  few  historians  will  honestly 
tell  the  truth,  so  far  as  they  know  it  ;  but  it  happens  not  sel- 
dom that  it  is  impossible  to  discover  the  truth,  even  with  the 
most  painstaking  investigation.  Four  out  of  five  historians 
will  consult  their  passions,  their  prejudices,  their  feelings, 
their  wishes,  their  interests.  Each  one  will  give,  with  more 
or  less  coloring,  that  which  makes  for  his  side  of  the  case,  and 
distort  or  suppress  everything  that  makes  against  it.     Opin- 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXEGUTED  ?  99 

ions,  reports,  hearsays,  traditions,  etc.,  are  given  as  facts. 
They  handle  the  truth  "  very  carelessly  and  very  sparingly." 
Others,  again,  will  invent  history,  not  hesitating  to  make  the 
falsest  statements  provided  their  purposes  can  be  served  by 
such  means,  well  knowing  that  a  lie  consistently  stuck  to  will 
eventually  pass  for  the  truth. 

These  "  historians"  are  for  the  most  part  blindly  followed 
by  succeeding  historians,  who  are  either  unable  or  unwilling 
to  investigate  for  themselves.     And  this  is  History  ! 

"  Don't  read  history  to  me,"  said  Sir  Robert  Walpole, 
"  for  history  must  be  false."'"  Charles  Kingsley  said  that  his- 
tory was  ' '  largely  a  lie, ' '  and  on  this  account  he  refused  to 
teach  it  in  the  University  of  Oxford, 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Cambronne's  heroic  mot  at  the  battle 
of  Waterloo? — "The  Guard  dies;  it  does  not  surrender," 
Very  beautiful,  very  touching.  It  is  an  article  of  faith  with 
most  Frenchmen,  And  yet  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  it. 
Cambronne  said  nothing  of  the  kind  ;  he  didn't  die  ;  he  was 
not  wounded  ;  he  was  not  even  with  the  Old  Guard  when  it 
surrendered.  He  was  taken  prisoner  some  time  before  by 
Colonel  Halkett,  of  the  English  army.  Halkett  singled  him 
out,  rode  him  down,  and  was  about  to  sabre  him  when  Cam- 
bronne cried  out,  "  I  surrender  .^"  f 

Not  long  ago  a  learned  gentleman  said  to  me,  "  Marshal 
Junot  was  a  great  general. " 

"  Junot,"  said  I,  "  was  no  marshal,  and  he  was  a  very  sorry 
general. ' ' 

' '  What !  I  will  wager  one  half  of  my  estate  that  u  unot  was 
a  marshal.'' 

The  following  books  were  quickly  taken  from  the  well-filled 

*  "Walpoliaua,"  vol.  i. 

f  The  wits  of  Paris  got  up  a  caricature  withi  the  superscription,  "La 
vieille  garde  meurt,  et  ne  se  rend  pas" — "  last  words  of  General  Cambronne 
on  surrendering  his  sword." 

"Wellington  used  to  say  that  a  certain  set  of  ladies  at  Brussels  had  got 
the  nickname  of  "  La  vieille  garde,  qui  meurt  mais  ne  se  rend  pas." 

Vide  as  to  Cambronne's  bravery,  "  A  Voice  from  Waterloo,"  Sergeant- 
Major  Cotton,  and  "  Life  of  Wellington,"  Colonel  John  Montmorency 
Tucker. 


100  WAS  MARSHAL  JS^EY  EXECUTED  ? 

shelves  :  Home's  "  Life  of  Napoleon,"  Clinton's  "  Peninsular 
War,"  Alison's  "History  of  Europe,"  Watson's  "Camp 
Fires  of  Napoleon,"  Lockliart's  "  Xapoleon,"  Hazlitt's  "  Na- 
poleon," Adams's  "  Great  Military  Commanders,"  Browne's 
"  Life  of  Wellington,"  and  Headley's  "  Napoleon  and  liis 
Marshals."*  Sure  enough,  Junot  was  spoken  of  as  marshal 
in  every  one  of  these  histories.  Still,  Junot  was  not  a  marshal. 
Napoleon  knew  him  too  well.  He  came  near  ruining  Napo- 
leon by  sheer  imbecility.  He  died  in  disgrace  as  General 
Junot,  Dulce  of  Ahrantes. 

The  story  of  William  Tell  and  his  apple — sacred  to  every 
school-boy — is  now  known  to  be  the  cruellest  of  myths.  The 
celebrated  speech  beginning,  "  The  atrocious  crime  of  being 
a  young  man,"  was  never  made  by  William  Pitt — it  is  Dr. 
Johnson's  child.  The  Abbe  Edgeworth  never  said  to  Louis 
XVI.,  as  he  was  about  to  be  executed,  "  Son  of  St,  Louis, 
ascend  to  heaven."  An  enterprising  editor  invented  the 
words  for  him.f  Leonidas  never  stopped  Xerxes'  army  with 
three  hundred  Spartans,  but  with  seven  thousand  or  more. 
Nine  histories  out  of  ten  will  tell  you  that  Wellington  was 
surprised  at  Quatre  Bras  and  Waterloo,  because  Fouche  prom- 
ised to  give  him  prompt  intelligence  of  Bonaparte's  move- 
ments, and  treacherously  deceived  the  Duke.  It  is  false. 
Wellington  repeatedly  denied  the  silly  charge.  In  a  letter  to 
General  Dumouriez  ("  Dispatches,"  vol.  xii.)  he  says  :  "  Be- 
fore my  arrival  in  Paris  in  July  (1815)  I  had  never  seen 
Eouche,  nor  had  any  communication  with  him,  nor  with  any 
one  connected  with  him." 

And  yet  Sir  Walter  Scott  and  Sir  Archibald  Ahson,  who 
wrote  their  histories  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  duke's 
residence,  repeat  the  stale  story  with  a  childlike  faith  that  is 
simply  astounding.  I     Lamartine  ("  History  of   the    Restora- 

*  In  the  Introduction  only  does  Headley  speak  of  Junot  as  marshal. 

f  See  Lord  Holland's  "  Foreign  Reminiscences." — Appendix. 

X  Alison  tries  to  wriggle  out  of  his  false  position  by  a  wordy  argument 
of  three  pages,  founded  upon  an  utter  misconception  of  Wellington's  char- 
acter. He  makes  the  fate  of  Europe,  perhaps  the  fate  of  the  world,  hinge 
upon  the  honor  of  FoucM,  the  biggest  of  all  hypocrites,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  Louis  Philippe. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  101 

tion")  says  that  at  Waterloo  Wellington  "  ordered  the  curb 
chains  to  be  taken  off  the  horses  and  brandy  to  be  distributed 
to  the  dragoons,  to  intoxicate  the  men  with  liquid  fire,  while 
the  sound  of  the  clarion  should  intoxicate  the  horses, "  and 
that  Wellington  had  ' '  seven  horses  worn  out  or  killed  under 
him." 

Stuff  !  No  curb  chains  were  taken  off  the  horses,  no 
brandy  distributed,  and  the  duke's  elegant  charger,  Copen- 
hagen, bore  him  safely  through  the  day.* 

Alison's  "  History  of  Europe"  contains  so  many  errors  that 
his  friend  Croker  in  mercy  refused  to  review  it.  Thiers' ' '  His- 
tory of  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire"  is  about  one  third 
fiction.  The  St.  Helena  historyf  is  utterly  unreliable.  Bona- 
parte wrote  to  the  Directory  that  he  had  taken  Acre.  "  I 
have,''  said  he,  "razed  the  palace  of  Djezzar  and  the  ram- 
parts of  Acre  ;  not  a  stone  remains  upon  another." 

"  I  confess,"  says  Bourrienne,  "  that  I  experienced  a  pain- 
ful sensation  in  writing,  by  his  dictation,  these  ofiicial  words, 
every  one  of  which  was  false-.  It  was  difiicult  for  me  to  re- 
frain from  making  some  observation.  '  My  dear  fellow, '  said 
Napoleon,  '  you  are  a  simj)leton  ;  you  do  not  understand  this 
business. '  And  he  observed,  when  signing  the  bulletin,  that 
he  would  fill  the  world  with  admiration,  and  inspire  historians 
and  poets. "J 

Indeed,  Napoleon  said  that  history  was  "  nothing  but  fiction 
agreed  to."  So  thought  Voltaire.  When  asked  for  his  au- 
thority for  a  certain  historical  statement  which  he  had  made,  he 
smiled  and  answered,  "  I  have  no  authority  for  it ;  it  is  a  mere 
freak  of  my  brain. ' '  Rostopchin  did  not  burn  Moscow,  §  though 
almost  every  history  says  that  he  did.     Napoleon  did  not  win 

*  "  Copenhagen  lived  several  years  after  the  battle  of  "Waterloo,  and  was 
an  object  of  interest  to  every  one  who  visited  Strathfieldsaye."  On  one 
occasion  the  duke  said  to  Croker,  "  I  rode  Copenhagen  throughout  the 
war,  and  mounted  no  other  horse  at  Waterloo." — See  Croker's  "Corre- 
spondence and  Diaries." 

t  By  Las  Cases,  Montholon,  Gourgaud,  O'Meara,  Antommarchi,  War- 
den, Napoleon,  etc. 

X  Bourrienne's  "  Memoirs." 

§  Haydon's  "  Autobiography,"  vol.  ii. 


102         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

the  famous  prize  offered  by  the  Academy  of  Lyons  for  the 
best  essay  on  the  question,  "  Which  are  the  most  important 
truths  and  feelings  to  be  inculcated  in  order  to  render  man- 
kind happy  ?"  though  Montholon,  Talleyrand,  Scott,  and 
others  give  us  feeling  details  of  this  youthful  victory.  * 

In  many  paintings,  and  numberless  woodcuts  in  histories, 
JSTapoleon  is  represented  as  riding  over  the  Alps  on  a  mag- 
nificent charger,  though,  in  fact,  he  rode  on  a  mule,  and  a 
very  sorry -looking  one  at  that.  The  original  painting  was  ex- 
ecuted by  David,  within  the  shadow  of  the  Tuileries,  undoubt- 
edly with  the  full  knowledge  and  consent  of  Napoleon  himself. 

Even  our  encyclopaedias,  where  one  would  expect  accuracy, 
contain  a  great  many  errors,  some  of  which  are  of  the  most 
serious  character,  while  others  are  sublimely  absurd.  A  for- 
eign encyclopaedia  of  high  pretensions  gravely  gives  the  fol- 
lowing poetic  account  of  social  life  in  Albany,  I^.  Y .  : 

"  After  dinner  the  gentlemen  at  the  reception  followed  the 
ladies  to  the  salon  and  lighted  their  cigars.  Those  who  did 
not  smoke,  chewed,  and  spat  quite  recklessly  on  the  floor. 
Many  who  did  not  use  tobacco  took  small  knives  from  their 
pockets  (for  an  x\merican  gentleman  always  carries  some  kind 
of  a  knife)  and  carved  or  cut  slivers  from  the  chairs.  Almost 
all  of  them  put  their  feet  on  tables  or  chairs.  This  behavior, 
which  would  insult  our  German  ladies,  the  many  beautiful 
American  ladies  in  the  room  regarded  as  a  matter  of  course, 
much  to  the  astonishment  of  the  writer." 

Here's  richness  for  you  !  1  would  like  to  know  who  was 
the  writer's  host,  or,  rather,  hostess. 

In  the  late  war  between  the  States  you  can  scarcely  find  two 
of  the  real  actors  in  the  struggle  who  will  agree  as  to  the  de- 
tails or  even  the  general  conduct  of  any  particular  battle. 
Wellington  said  that  he  had  never  seen  a  correct  account  of 
the  battle  of  Waterloo,  f     In  this  respect,   Gettysburg,  cer- 

*  See  "  Biograpliie  Universelle." 

f  Nobody  knows  when  the  battle  of  Waterloo  commenced.  Wellington 
says  it  began  at  or  about  10  o'clock  ;  Napoleon  and  General  Drouot,  at  12  ; 
General  Alava,  at  11.30  ;  Marshal  Ney  and  Colonel  Heymes,  at  1  ;  General 
Hill,  with  two  watches  in  his  pocket  and  one  a  stop-watch,  at  10  minutes 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  103 

tainly  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  the  world,  is  even  more 
unfortunate  than  Waterloo.  History  has  been  so  grossly  per- 
verted in  the  general  accounts  of  this  battle  as  to  make  it 
almost  if  not  altogether  impossible  for  any  historian  to  arrive 
at  the  truth.  Look  at  the  Isidorean  Decretals — an  impudent 
and  clumsy  fraud — and  yet  for  six  hundred  years  they  were 
unhesitatingly  received  by  the  whole  civilized  world  as  "  true 
gospel  history."  Barere's  "Memoirs"  are  a  tissue  of  un- 
blushing falsehoods.  Macaulay  says  Barere  was  the  biggest  of 
all  liars,  ancient  or  modern.  But  the  Rev.  Joel  T.  Headley 
is  a  little  ahead  (historically)  either  of  Isidore  or  Barere.* 

I  quote  from  his  "  l^apoleon  and  his  Marshals"  : 

"  The  French  marshal"  (Soult)  "  showed  himself  a  match 
for  Wellington  at  any  time — nay,  beat  him  oftener  and  longer 
than  he  was  beaten." 

ITow,  it  is  well  known  to  every  tyro  in  history  that  Welling- 
ton completely  outgeneralled  Soult  ;  that  he  whipped  him 
badly  on  several  occasions  ;  that  he  drove  him  in  disgrace 
from  his  strongholds  ;  that  Soult  never  gained  a  single  victory 
over  Wellington,  and  that  Wellington  never  lost  a  battle  or  a 
gun  in  his  life. 

Historic  cheek  can  go  no  further. f     I  tire. 

The  Chamber  of  Peers,  at  the  time  of  ISTey's  trial,  was 
composed  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  members.     Of  this 

before  12  ;  other  officers,  with  watches  in  their  hands,  say  the  first  gun 
was  fired  at  11  o'clock  ;  and  Haydn's  "Dictionary  of  Dates,"  which  of 
course  makes  a  special  point  of  accuracy,  says  the  battle  began  at  9  o'clock. 
The  same  high  authority  further  states  that  Wellington  had  but  fifty-eight 
thousand  men,  and  that  Ney  was  shot  August  16,  1815. 
Byron's  famous  lines, 

"  Within  a  window'd  niche  of  that  high  hall 
Sate  Brunswick's  fated  chieftain," 

have  no  foundation  in  fact.  The  Waterloo  ball  was  held  in  a  long,  low, 
narrow  room,  which  had  been  used  as  a  coach-builder's  shop.  "  The  ball 
did  not  take  place  at  the  residence  of  my  mother"  (the  Duchess  of  Rich- 
mond), "but  in  some  sort  of  an  old  barn  at  the  back  or  behind." — Lord 
William  Pitt  Lennox. 

*  Tolstoi's  s^tfjf  ("  Napoleon  and  the  Russian  Campaign")  does  not  de- 
serve the  name  of  history. 

f  Poe  was  Tialf  TighX,,     Headley  is  the  "  autocrat"  of  bold  historians. 


104  Tr.4>S'  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

number  one  hundred  and  tliirty-nine  yielded  to  the  clamor  of 
the  ultraists  and  voted  for  the  marshal's  death  ;  seventeen 
voted  for  exile,  and  five  abstained  from  voting.  The  names 
of  the  seventeen  peers  who  voted  for  exile  (I  shall  do  my 
part,  however  humble,  toward  making  them  immortal)  are  as 
follows  :  The  Duke  de  Broglie,*  one  of  the  noblest  of  men  ; 
the  Duke  de  Montmorency,  BerthoUet,  Chasseloup-Laubat, 
Cholet,  Colaud,  Fontanes,  Gouvion,  Herwyn,  Klein,  Lanjui- 
nais,  Lemercier,  Lenoir-Laroche,  Malleville,  Richebourg, 
Curial,  Lally-Tollendal.f  The  names  of  the  live  peers  who 
refused  to  vote  I  shall  not  give.  They  are  suspended  between 
honor  and  dishonor.     I  leave  them  there. 

But  in  justice  to  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  peers  who 
bowed  the  knee  to  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Duchess  d'Angou- 
leme  (for  she  was  the  power  behind  the  throne),  it  must  be 
said  that  they  were  cruelly  deceived.  "  The  sentence  of  death 
was  scarcely  pronounced  when  the  Duke  de  Richelieu,  who 
attended  this  nocturnal  sitting, ;{:  was  surrounded  by  a  great 
number  of  the  voters,"  who  openly  declared  they  did  not  de- 
sire the  marshal's  death  ;  that  they  had  voted  for  it  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  royal  wish,  but  under  the  tacit  condition  of  a  com- 
mutation of  the  penalty  by  the  government.  §  They  therefore 
"  conjured  the  prime-minister  to  solicit  from  the  king  exile  to 
America  for  the  condemned  instead  of  the  scaffold."  The 
Duke  de  Richelieu,  although  he  had  demanded  ISTey's  con- 
demnation in  the  name  of  Exirope^  \  was  in  the  main  a  just 

*  "  The  Duke  de  Broglie  claimed  the  right  of  sitting,  from  which  he  was 
dispensed  by  his  youth"  (he  was  but  thirty  years  old),  "  in  order  to  protest 
by  his  vote  against  a  political  immolation  as  contrary  to  the  gratitude  and  the 
honor  of  his  country. " — Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration, ' '  vol.  iii. , 
p.  317. 

f  "  We  record  their  names  that  public  esteem  may  also  have  its  tablets, 
in  which  history  will  find  and  award  its  meed  of  praise  to  those  hearts 
which  are  inflexible  to  the  passions  or  the  calculation  of  parties." — Lamar- 
tine's "  History  of  the  Restoration,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  318. 

X  The  sentence  was  pronounced  at  11.30  p.m.,  December  6th,  1815. 

§  Vaulabelle's  "  Histoire  des  deux  Restorations  ;"  Lamartine's  "  History 
of  the  Restoration  ;"  Lady  Jackson's  "  Court  of  the  Tuileries." 

II  A  miserable  pretext.  Europe,  as  elsewhere  shown,  did  not  ask  for 
Ney's  "condemnation." 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  105 

and  merciful  man.  He  did  not  desire  Key's  death  ;  and  the 
police  reports,  brought  in  every  fifteen  minutes  to  the  quaking 
ministers,  were  of  the  most  alarming  character. 

A  Cabinet  council  M'as  hastily  summoned,  at  which  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  to  petition  the  king  for  a  commutation 
of  the  penalty.  The  Duke  de  Richelieu  hastened  to  the  royal 
apartments,  and  boldly  "  infringing  the  regulations  of  the 
palace,"  entered  the  king's  chamber  between  one  and  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  anxiously  pleaded  for  mercy.  The 
prime-minister  kept  back  nothing.  He  frankly  told  the  king 
that  the  situation  was  extremely  critical  ;  that  a  large  number 
of  the  peers,  although  they  had  condemned  the  marshal,  were 
strongly  opposed  to  his  death  ;  that  public  sentiment  was 
against  it  ;  that  a  general  uprising  of  the  people  was  immi- 
nent, and  that  it  was  necessary  to  commute  the  sentence.* 

The  king  indulged  in  a  good  deal  of  sentimental  twaddle — 
"  I  pity  ]^cy.  1  have  no  hatred  against  him.  I  would  gladly 
preserve  a  father  to  his  children,  a  hero  to  France,"  etc.,  but 
he  doggedly  refused  to  change  the  sentence  of  the  court. 
Others — not  a  few  of  them  known  and  honored  throughout 
Europe — came  to  plead  for  the  life  of  the  great  marshal  ;  but 
when  they  ''  arrived  at  the  palace,  his  gracious  majesty  was 
going  to  bed,  and  would  not  even  listen  to  a  word  they  had 
to  say.  Waving  his  hand  as  he  was  wheeled  away,  he  ex- 
claimed :  '  Let  me  hear  when  I  awake  that  the  traitor  has 
paid  the  forfeit  of  his  crime  !  '  The  people  of  indignant 
France  uttered  the  word  Rescue. "f 

The  last  hope  of  royal  clemency  had  fled,  and  the  marshal 
doubtless  found,  as  he  had  said  to  Lavalette  in  prison,  that 

*  The  Government  officers  were  terribly  frightened.  They  were  evi- 
dently ready  for  any  feasible  solution  of  the  difficulty  which  confronted 
them. 

"  The  evening  before  the  accused  had  been  transferred  from  the  Con- 
ciergerie  to  the  Luxembourg  with  an  escort  and  a  precipitation  which 
evinced  the  uneasiness  of  the  government  with  respect  to  a  rescue,  or  a 
rising  of  the  people." — Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration,"  vol.  iii.  ; 
Alison's  "  History  of  Europe  ;"  Craik  and  McFarlane's  "  History  of  Eng- 
land." 

f  "  Court  of  the  Tuileries,"  Lady  Jackson. 


106         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

"  many  friends  were  watching  over  liim.  "*  Outside  of  the 
few  bloody  ultraists  it  was  diflficult  to  find  any  one,  even 
among  the  foreign  soldiers,  who  really  desired  the  death  of  the 
"  bravest  of  the  brave,"  while  a  very  large  mimber  of  Key's 
friends,  soldiers  and  citizens,  had  secretly  sworn — many  of 
them  had  publicly  sworn — that  he  should  not  die  by  the  hands 
of  Frenchmen,  f 

Key's  popularity  was  almost  boundless.  He  had  brought 
more  glory  to  the  French  arms  than  any  other  man  of  his  age, 
Bonaparte  not  excepted.  Great  as  a  warrior,  "  wholly  un- 
rivalled on  the  embattled  plain,"  ^  he  was  yet  greater  as  a 
patriot  and  as  a  man.  Beneath  that  rugged  exterior  was  a 
heart  as  true  and  tender  as  ever  beat  in  the  breast  of  man. 
The  people  loved  him.     The  soldiers  idolized  liim.§ 

Now,  would  French  soldiers,  and  especially  French  vet- 
erans, have  shot  such  a  man  as  that  ?  I  do  not  beheve  it.  For 
the  honor  of  the  French  name,  for  the  honor  of  human  na- 
ture, I  will  not  believe  it.  Would  any  Southern  soldier  have 
shot  General  Lee,  or  Stonewall  Jackson  under  similar  circum- 
stances ?  There  is  not  one  worthy  of  the  name  who  would 
have  committed  so  foul  a  deed.  Death  would  have  been 
preferable  to  such  sacrilege. 

Every  soldier,  too,  as  well  as  many  of  the  peers,  felt  that 
Key  was  protected  by  the  capitulation  of  Paris.  And  he  un- 
doubtedly was.  The  twelfth  article  of  that  capitulation  states 
that  "  The  inhabitants  and  all  individuals  who  shall  be  in  the 
capital  shall  continue  to  enjoy  their  rights  and  liberties  with- 
out being;  disturbed  or  called  to  account  either  as  to  the  situa- 


*  Lavaletle's  "  Memoirs." 

f  "  History  of  French  Wars  ;"  "  Sketches  of  Napoleon  and  his  Gen- 
erals ;"  Anecdotes  of  "  Napoleon,"  etc.,  W.  H.  Ireland  ;  Private  Letters. 

X  General  Jomini. 

§  "  Ney  was  first  brought  to  trial  in  the  great  Hall  of  the  Palace  of  Jus- 
tice. The  concourse  of  persons  assembled  to  hear  the  trial  was  prodigious. 
Almost  all  instantly  rose  to  their  feet  as  Ney  entered.  .  .  .  His  presence 
produced  a  lively  sensation,  and  a  short  pause  followed." — "Wars  in 
Europe." 

"  There  was  but  one  way  to  destroy  Ney's  influence  with  his  troops,  and 
that  was  to  kill  Am." — General  Bourmont,  at  Ney's  trial. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  107 

tions  they  hold  or  may  Jiam  held,  or  as  to  their  conduct  or 
jyolitical  opinions.''''  The  fifteenth  article  states  that  "If 
difficulties  arise  in  the  execution  of  any  one  of  the  articles  of 
the  present  convention,  the  interpretaUon  of  it  shall  be  made 
in  favor  of  the  French  army  and  the  city  of  Paris." 

ISTothing,  it  would  seem,  could  be  clearer  ;  and  yet  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  positively  refused  to  save,  or,  at  any  rate,  openly 
to  save,  the  life  of  Marshal  Ney,  stoutly  maintaining  that  the 
convention  was  "  exclusively  military  ;  that  it  touched  noth- 
ing POLITICAL,  and  was  not  intended  to  bind  and  could  not 
bind  the  hands  of  the  King  of  France.""^ 

Such  sophistry  was  worthy  only  of  a  pettifogging  lawyer. 
Was  not  Louis  XVIII.  an  ally  of  the  English  and  Prussian 
armies  ?  Did  he  not  act  in  concert  with  them  ?  Did  he  not 
follow  in  the  wake  of  the  English  army,  timidly,  obediently, 
almost  slavishly,  waiting  for  Wellington  to  open  for  him  the 
o-ates  of  Paris  ?  Did  he  not  enter  Paris  and  ascend  the  throne 
by  virtue  of  this  convention  ?  Did  he  not  threaten  France, 
when  he  fled  ignobly  from  it  the  preceding  March,  with  three 
hundred  thousand  foreign  bayonets  ?  Can  any  one  believe 
that  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  brave  French  soldiers 
surrendered  to  Wellington  and  Bliicher  (who  were  really 
afraid  to  attack  them  in  their  strong  intrenchments),t  with 

*  See  "  "Wellington's  Dispatches,"  vol.  xii.  ;  the  duke's  letter  to  Marshal 
Ney,  November  14th,  and  the  Duke's  "  Interview  with  Princess  de  la  Mos- 
kowa." 

Wellington  did  not  have  much  respect  for  the  king  as  an  "  independent 
monarch"  when  he  sent  his  soldiers  to  the  Louvre  to  bring  away  the  paint- 
ings, etc.,  of  the  King  of  the  Netherlands.  Talleyrand  protested  ;  Deuon 
protested  in  the  king's  name.  Wellington  replied  that  he  would  have  the 
paintings  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  He  got  them.  But  what  a  singular 
attitude  did  he  put  himself  in  !  The  king  was  an  absolute  sovereign  so  far 
as  his  people  were  concerned.  He  could  bring  them  to  trial,  imprison, 
murder  them,  but  he  couldn't  protect  the  public  property  !  In  this  case, 
the  greater  does  not  embrace  the  less,  but  the  less  excludes  the  greater. 

The  fact  is,  that  when  Wellington  wished  to  respect  the  king  as  an  inde- 
pendent monarch,  he  did  it,  and  when  he  didn't,  he  didn't.  That  is  the 
long  and  short  of  the  matter. 

f  See  Wellington's  letter  to  Bliicher,  dated  Gonesse,  July  2d,  1815 ; 
"  Wellington's  Dispatches,"  vol.  xii.,  pp.  526,  527. 


108         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

the  understanding  that  thej  were  to  receive  a  temporary  jjro- 
tection  of  two  or  tliree  days,  and  then  to  be  unconditionally 
surrendered  to  the  French  tyrant  ? 

The  thing  is  absurd.  English  precedent  was  against  Wel- 
lington.* The  common  sense  of  mankind  was  against  him. 
The  fifteenth  article  does  away  with  all  possibility  of  miscon- 
struction : 

"  If  difficulties  arise,"  etc.  j!!^ow,  every  one  knows  that 
"  difficulties"  did  arise  in  the  execution  of  the  twelfth  article, 
and  yet  the  interpretation  of  it  was  7iot  made  in  favor  of  the 
French  army  and  of  the  city  of  Paris. 

Marshal  ISTey  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
(ISTovember  13th),  in  which  he  says  :  "  You  cannot  be  igno- 
rant of  the  gross  violation  which  has  taken  place  in  my  person 
of  the  Convention  of  Paris,  on  the  faith  of  which  the  French 
army  laid  down  its  arms  and  I  remained  in  France.  It  was 
on  the  following  articles  that  1  relied  (twelfth  and  fifteenth), 
and  without  these  terms  is  there  a  human  being  who  believes 
I  would  not  have  died,  sword  in  hand,  joined  and  supported 
by  all  the  brave  and  virtuous  that  remained  in  France  ?" 

Marshal  Davout,  commander-in-chief  of  the  French  army, 
solemnly  swore  that  he  had  "  understood  the  Convention  in 
the  sense  of  a  complete  amnesty  for  all  the  acts  of  the  inter- 
regnum ;  and  that  if  the  Convention  had  not  had  that  signifi- 
cation in  his  mind,  he  would  have  fought,  and  might  have  con- 
quered." 

Count  Guilleminot,  one  of  the  French  commissioners,  fully 
sustained  Davout  in  this  statement.  He  testified  that  he  had 
received  express  orders  from  the  French  Government  to  break 
off  the  negotiation  unless  a  complete  amnesty  were  granted 
for  all  offences,  military  or  political,  f 


*  In  Egypt,  Naples,  etc.  In  the  case  of  Naples,  Lord  Nelson  acted  some- 
what like  Wellington,  though  he  had  firmer  ground  to  stand  upon  ;  yet  he 
was  severely  condemned  by  the  public  sentiment  of  England,  and  barely 
escaped  parliamentary  impeachment. 

f  "  As  chief  of  the  staff,  1  was  charged  with  stipulating  for  an  amnesty 
in  favor  of  all  persons,  whatever  might  be  their  opinions,  their  offices,  or 
their  conduct.     This  point  was  granted  without  any  dispute.     My  orders 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  109 

Many  Englishmen,*  too  (Liberals  and  Tories),  had  grave 
doubts  as  to  the  correctness  of  Welhngton's  interpretation  of 
the  twelfth  article,  and  freely  expressed  them.  One  of  the 
English  ministers  wrote  to  Wellington,  asking  if  the  twelfth 
article  did  not  grant  a  general  amnesty  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Paris,  etc.f 

When  ISTey  was  executed,  as  was  supposed,  there  was  a 
burst  of  indignation  in  England  which  made  Wellington  feel 
that  his  conduct  in  this  matter  would  be  made  the  subject  of 
parliamentary  inquiry.  \ 

were  to  break  off  the  conferences  had  any  refusal  been  made." — Count 
Guilleminot,  at  the  trial  of  Marshal  Ney. 

See  also  "  Memorial"  of  Berryer  and  Dupin  (Ney's  counsel),  addressed 
to  Sir  Charles  Stuart  ;  Lord  Holland's  letter  on  the  capitulation  ;  Mar- 
shal Ney's  letter  to  the  Duke  d'Orleans  ;  Circular  distributed  at  Ney's 
trial  ;  Madame  Ney's  letter  to  Sir  Charles  Stuart  and  the  Prince  Eegent. 

"  How  can  Louis  XVHI.  attempt  to  violate  this  single  article  (most 
solemn  of  all),  when  in  respect  to  the  others,  which  are  to  the  prejudice  of 
France,  he  has  been  compelled  to  submit  to  their  most  rigorous  execution  ? 
.  .  .  Paris  is  still  under  the  military  dominion  of  the  allies.  The  king 
has  not  a  soldier  at  his  command  without  the  co-operation  of  the  allies. ' ' — • 
"  Circular  ;"  Madame  Ney's  letter. 

"  After  three  months  the  king  feels  unable  to  trust  the  security  of  his 
family  and  capital  to  anything  but  a  foreign  force.  The  general  language 
of  Paris  is  decidedly  against  the  Bourbons.  General  officers  and  others  of 
the  most  respectable  description  hold  that  language  openly,  and  they  say 
that  were-the  foreign  troops  removed,  the  Bourbon  government  would  not 
last  ten  days." — E.  Cooke  to  Lord  Liverpool,  Paris,  September  25th,  1815. 

*  Sir  James  Alexander,  Earl  Grey,  Lord  Kinnaird,  Lord  Holland,  Duke 
of  Sussex,  Godwin,  Thelwall,  Dr.  Parr,  Hobhouse,  Wright,  Hume,  Alison, 
Allen,  Wilson,  Bruce,  Hutchinson,  etc. 

f  Lord  Liverpool.  He  "had  been  struck  with  the  ambiguitj^  of  the  terms 
of  the  capitulation, "etc. — Crowe's  "Life  of  Louis  XVID.  aud  Charles  X." 

Vide  also  Lord  Bathurst's  letter  to  Wellington.  Wellington  didn't  feel 
safe  until  he  was  propped  up  by  the  Prince  Regent.  Lord  Bathurst  in  his 
letter  gives  us  an  insight  (though  unintentional  on  his  part)  into  a  very 
curious  bit  of  contemporary  history. 

X  See  "  Wellington's  Dispatches,"  vol.  xii. 

"To  have  carried  out  the  principle  upon  which  Ney's  sentence  was 
based  would  have  ended  in  a  public  massacre  ;  .  .  .  there  never  was  a  more 
flagrant  violation  of  national  honor.  .  .  .  The  whole  affair  from  begin- 
ning to  end  was  a  deliberate  murder.  .  .  .  On  Wellington's  forehead  is 
a  spot  that  shall  grow  darker  with  time,  and  cause  many  a  curse  to  be 
muttered  over  his  grave.  "—Headley,  "  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals." 


110         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

With  these  facts  before  us,  how  is  it  possible  for  anj  one  to 
beh'eve  that  l^ey's  life  and  liberty  were  not  shielded  by  the 
capitulation  of  Paris  ?  For  the  lirst  and  only  time  in  his  life, 
Wellington  completely  lost  his  head.  I  honor  the  Iron  Duke 
as  few  men  honor  him,  but  I  must  confess  there  is  a  stain 
upon  that  glorious  forehead.  It  is  not  so  dark  as  Headley, 
Abbott,  and  others  would  have  us  to  believe,  but  it  is  there 
nevertheless.  Still,  we  should  not  judge  too  harshly.  Wel- 
lington's position  as  an  English  general — virtually  as  the  gen- 
eralissimo of  the  allied  armies — was  extremely  delicate.  The 
king  was  barely  seated  upon  his  worm-eaten  throne.  It  was 
quivering  beneath  him  day  and  night  like  an  aspen  leaf.  The 
situation  was  critical.  A  single  spark  might  set  everything  on 
iire.  The  safety  of  France  and  the  peace  of  Europe,  perhaps 
of  the  world,  were  at  stake.  We  do  not  know,  we  cannot 
know  what  Wellington  knew.  We  have  reason  to  believe 
(from  Wellington's  own  admissions)  that  he  died  with  secrets 
locked  up  in  his  bosom  which  would  have  helped  greatly  to 
clear  away  this  murky  atmosphere.^ 

*  "  The  proscription  of  Ney  was  opposed  to  every  principle  and  word  of 
the  capitulation,  an  act  as  dishonorable  to  the  French  Government  as  it 
was  opposed  to  and  in  violation  of  the  faith  and  honor  of  the  allies.  It 
was  mean  and  dastardly,  after  the  ferment  of  men's  passions  was  cooled, 
to  pursue  these  men"  (Ney,  Labedoyere,  Lavalette,  etc.),  "  a  paltry  and 
despicable  use  of  victory." — Sir  James  Alexander,  "  Life  of  Wellington." 

See  also  Capeflgue's  "  Histoire  de  la  Restauration  ;"  Stocqueler's  "  Life 
of  Wellington  ;"  Crowe's  "  History  of  France"  and  "  Life  of  Louis  XVIIL 
and  Charles  X.  ;"  Wright's  "Life  of  Wellington." 

"Marshal  Nej'' was  clearly  included  in  the  terms  of  Article  13.  .  .  . 
Such  a  Machiavellian  doctrine"  (that  the  Convention  was  purely  military) 
"  is  contrary  to  all  reason,  and  such  a  principle  once  established  might 
cover  the  earth  with  scaffolds.'  — MontJily  (English)  Magazine. 

"  To  deny  the  validity  of  the  Convention  because  it  was  not  formally 
accepted  by  the  king  was  to  add  fraud  to  oppression  ;  for  what  can  be  a 
baser  fraud  than  to  accept  the  benefits  of  an  agreement  and  to  refuse  its 
obligations  ?  The  recollection  of  Ney's  death  was  one  of  the  principal 
causes  of  the  unpopularity  with  the  army  which  haunted  the  elder  Bour- 
bons, and  fifteen  years  afterward,  when  in  their  utmost  need  they  had  to 
rely  on  the  army  for  support,  that  recollection  precipitated  their  down- 
fall." — Senior's  "  Biographical  Sketches." 

*  Wellington  was  magnanimity  itself.  He  kept  back  for  some  time  one 
volume  of  his  famous  "  Dispatches,"  for  fear  he  might  injure  the  char- 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED?  Ill 

JSTey's  letter  to  Wellington  was,  I  think,  unfortunate  in  its 
tone.  It  offended  liis  amour  jprojpre.  Madame  ]N"ey,  too, 
was  most  unwise  in  publishing  detached  portions  of  her  inter- 
view with  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  Such  things  oftentimes 
have  much  weight— more  than  one  is  willing  to  acknowledge 
even  to  one's  self.  "WeUington  was  an  honest  man,  and  his 
conduct  in  the  case  of  I^ey  is  the  onlj  blot  '^  upon  his  private 
or  public  character.  He  erred,  but  it  was  an  error  of  the  head 
and  not  of  the  heart.  Wellington  really  did  not  desire  the 
death  of  his  old  antagonist  in  arms.  He  repeatedly  told  his 
friends  that  he  would  gladly  save  him  if  he  could,  but  that  he 
had  no  right  to  interfere  with  the  acts  of  the  Bourbons.  Kot 
a  few  of  Wellington's  personal  friends  were  constantly  plead- 
ing with  him  to  save  the  hero's  life.  JSTey  was  almost  as 
popular  with  the  English  as  he  was  with  his  own  countrymen, 
for  the  English  people,  above  all  others,  admire  a  brave  and 
manly  fighter. 

"Madame  Hutchinson,  the  wife  of  a  member  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  a  relation  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  who  was 
then  in  Paris,  and  whose  house  was  the  hospitable  rendezvous 
of  the  most  liberal-minded  officers  of  the  English  army,  inter- 
ceded in  the  most  earnest  manner  with  His  Grace  to  obtain 
from  him  a  decisive  intervention  for  the  salvation  of  Marshal 

acter  and  fortunes  of  those  who  were  living  both  in  England  and  in 
France. 

*  "  Wellington's  greatest  admirers  wish  that  the  recording  angel  had 
dropped  a  tear  on  this  page  of  his  life  and  blotted  it  out  forever.  "— 
Wright's  "  Life  of  Wellington." 

Wellington  laid  great  stress  upon  the  fact  that  Ney  fled,  and  therefore 
could  not  tliink  he  was  protected  by  the  capitulation.  This  is  absurd. 
Ks,  Bourrienne  fcays,  "  Now,  even  before  Ney  knew  of  his  exception  from 
the  amnesty,  to  appear  in  Paris  would  have  been  a  foolish  piece  of 
bravado.  Further,  the  royalist  reaction  was  in  full  vigor  ;  and  when  the 
royalist  mobs,  with  the  connivance  of  the  authorities,  were  murdering 
Marshal  Brune  and  attacking  any  prominent  adherents  of  Napoleon,  it  was 
hardly  the  time  for  Ney  to  travel  in  full  pomp. " 

Ney  knew  that  on  every  account  he  ought  to  leave  Paris  ;  that  his  pres- 
ence would  greatly  irritate  the  Bourbons,  and  might  lead  to  the  most  seri- 
ous consequences  ;  that  the  assassin  would  be  on  his  track  ;  that  Louis 
XVIII.  would,  if  possible,  wreak  his  vengeance  upon  him,  capitulation  or 
no  capitulation. 


112         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

N'ey.  Slie  conjured  him  by  liis  own  glory  and  the  glory  of 
his  country  to  avert  by  such  a  step  the  reproach  which  would 
rest  on  his  memory  if  this  odious  sacrifice  were  accomplished 
under  his  eyes,  and  apparently  with  his  moral  participation. 
It  is  even  said  that,  in  her  ardent  and  eloquent  appeal  to  the 
magnanimity  of  the  English  general,  Madame  Hutchinson 
threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  the  duke,  to  draw  from  him  by 
her  prayers  what  she  could  not  obtain  by  higher  considera- 
tions."* 

The  Duke  of  Wellington  was  deeply  touched  by  these  ap- 
peals, and  he  resolved  to  do  everything  in  his  power  short  of 
forcible  interposition  to  save  the  life  of  Marshal  Ney.  And 
he  did.  He  spoke  his  mind  freely  to  the  king,  and  especially 
to  his  ministers.  The  king  became  alarmed  at  his  boldness, 
and  at  last  grossly  insulted  him. 

On  the  evening  of  IS'ey's  condemnation  the  king  held  a  re- 
ception, f  Wellington  was  invited,  and  he  went  to  the  palace 
a  short  time  after  JSTey  was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  His  object 
was,  as  he  afterward  said  to  a  few  intimate  friends,  to  ask  the 
king  to  spare  the  life  of  Marshal  ISTey.     The  king  saw  him 

*  Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration." 

Madame  Hutchinson  and  the  Princess  de  Vaudemont  (a  Montmorency) 
contrived  Lavalette's  escape,  and  it  is  extremely  probable  were  privy  to 
Ney's  escape. 

The  fiendish  conduct  of  the  ultra-royalists  at  the  time  of  Ney's  trial 
surpasses  all  belief.  It  was  fully  equal  to  that  of  the  sans-culottes  of  the 
French  Revolution.  "  In  the  saloons  of  the  aristocracy,"  says  Lamartine, 
"  the  king's  ministers  were  actually  mobbed  and  entreated  to  give  his" 
(Ney's) ' '  blood  as  a  personal  favor  to  the  applicants.  Ladies  of  the  highest 
rank,  young,  beautiful,  rich,  loaded  with  gifts,  favors,  titles,  and  court 
dignities,  forgot  their  families,  their  ease,  and  their  amours,  quitted  their 
houses  at  daybreak,  ran  about  all  day,  and  intrigued  all  night  to  gain  over 
a  voice  among  the  j  udges, ' '  etc. 

No  wonder  that  Wellington  was  "  disgusted,"  and  that  he  felt,  with  a 
very  large  majority  of  the  people  of  France,  of  England,  and,  I  believe, 
of  Europe,  that  enough  blood  had  been  shed,  and  that  it  was  time  to  call  a 
halt. 

f  There  is  a  "  sound  of  revelry"  in  the  Bourbon  palace  while  the  great- 
est soldier  of  France  is  being  sentenced  to  an  ignominious  death. 

"  And  Gallia's  capital  had  gathered  then, 
Her  beauty  and  her — chivalry  ! ! !" 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED?  113 

coming  and  knew  his  object,  and  just  before  he  reached  the 
king  the  Count  d'Artois  darted  between  Wellington  and  His 
Majesty,  as  if  he  were  afraid  that  Wellington  wished  to  assas- 
sinate  the  king.  The  king  at  the  same  moment  deliberately 
turned  his  back  on  Wellington  in  the  presence  of  the  whole 
court  in  the  most  marked  and  offensive  manner.  The  duke 
felt  this  insult  most  keenly.  He  turned  to  the  king's  court- 
iers and  said  :  "  Y"ou  forget  that  I  commanded  the  armies 
which  put  your  king  on  his  throne.  I  will  never  again  enter 
the  royal  presence." 

Stung  to  the  quick,  his  gray  eyes  flashing  fire,  so  angry  in- 
deed that  several  suns  go  down  upon  his  wrath,'"  the  great 
duke  instantly  leaves  the  presence  of  the  royal  dotard  and  his 
fawning  courtiers.  The  greatest  captain  of  his  age,  or  of  any 
age,  is  compelled  for  the  moment  meanly  to  retreat  before  a 
cowardly  and  contemptible  foe.f  It  was  not  in  Wellington's 
nature  to  stand  this  unparalleled  insult  and  humiliation.  I 
cannot  doubt  that  before  Wellington  left  the  palace,  or  very 
shortly  afterward,  the  king,  or  his  ministers,  or  both,  were 
informed  that  Marshal  IS^ey  could  not  be  shot.:}: 

*  "  After  Marshal  Ney  was  shot,  the  Count  d'Artois  called  upon  the 
duke  and  begged  him,  almost  on  his  knees,  to  visit  the  king.  The  duke 
sternly  refused.  At  length,  possibly  from  political  necessities,  he  con- 
sented to  an  interview  with  the  king  on  business,  .  .  .  but  I  know  that  to 
the  last  he  deeply  felt  the  base  requital  which  he  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  those  to  whom  he  had  given  a  kingdom." — Sir  William  Fraser's 
"  Words  on  Wellington." 

f  See  "  Correspondence  of  Prince  Talleyrand  and  Louis  XVIII.  ;"  Army 
and  Navy  Gazette,  England  ;  "  Journal"  of  Thomas  Raikes  ;  Sir  William 
Fraser's  "  Words  on  Wellington." 

X  Indeed,  Wellington  could  not  have  acted  otherwise.  It  was  not  sim- 
ply a  personal  question.  That,  in  all  conscience,  would  have  been  bad 
enough.  It  would  have  justified  Wellington  in  a  quiet  though  forcible 
Interference.  But  Wellington  was  insulted,  not  merely  as  a  man,  but  as  an 
Englishman,  and  as  thegeneral-in-chief  of  the  English  Army  and  virtually 
of  the  allied  armies.  His  government  was  insulted  ;  all  the  allied  govern- 
ments were  insulted  ;  Europe  was  insulted.  It  was  not  a  mere  personal 
issue. 

It  was  raised  far  above  that.  It  was  a  public  question — a  question  of 
politics,  of  good  government,  of  international  comity,  of  the  respect  and 
consideration  due  from  one  government  to  another,  and  which,  indeed, 
every  State  must  exact  from  another,  or  lose  its  place  among  nations — a 


114         WAS  MABSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

Wellington  was  in  command  of  all  the  troops  in  Paris.  In 
one  hour — aje,  in  thirty  minutes — he  could  have  had  the  king 
publicly  executed.  And  Wellington  would  allow  no  man  to 
insult  him,  or  his  army  or  his  government  through  him. 
He  was  as  firm  as  a  rock,  as  open  as  day,  and  as  high-mettled 
as  any  knight  of  the  olden  time.  "  He  did  not  hesitate," 
says  N^apier,  "  to  speak  the  truth  at  all  times,  even  to  kings. 
Monarchs  have  bowed  and  been  abashed  before  him. ""  Louis 
XYIII.  in  particular  had  bent  before  him  as  a  reed  bends  be- 
fore the  gushing  wind.  Twice  had  Wellington  put  Louis  on 
the  throne  of  France — in  1814  and  in  1815.  Without  Wel- 
lington the  allied  armies  would  have  been  as  a  rope  of  sand. 
They  would  have  accomplished  nothing  but  their  own  ruin. 
Wellington  was  at  all  times  the  head  and  the  soul  of  the  coali- 
tion. Louis  XVIII.  owed  everything  to  Wellington,  and 
yet,  when  the  great  duke  goes  to  him  to  ask  for  the  life  of  a 
gallant  foe,  he  deliberately  turns  his  back  upon  him.  Can  any 
one  believe  that  Wellington  quietly  submitted  to  so  great  an 
indignity  ?  If  so,  one  must  have  very  little  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  less  still  of  Wellington's  character. 

I  believe  that  Wellington  saved  ISTey's  life.*  Wellington, 
in  all  probability,  did  not  wish  to  interfere  publicly  and  forci- 
bly. He  was  a  patriot,  and,  above  all,  a  lover  of  peace.  He 
well  knew  that  any  open  rupture  with  the  king  in  so  grave 
and  delicate  a  matter  would  be  productive  of  evils  the  end  of 
which  no  one  could  foresee.  A  mock  execution  would  answer 
his  purpose,  everything  considered,  and  Ney  at  the  same  time 
would  be  sufficiently  punished. f 


question  of  good  order  and  discipline,  of  the  peace  and  securit}^  of  France, 
of  the  neighboring  nations,  of  Europe. 

The  insult  was  public  and  premeditated  ;  as  cold  and  cruel  and  foul 
as  an  insult  possibly  could  be.  I  say,  Wellington  co^lld  not  have  acted 
otherwise.     Any  man  in  Wellington's  place  would  have  saved  Ney's  life. 

*  Peter  S.  Ney  told  Dr.  A.  H.  Graham,  of  Texas,  a  nephew  of  ex-Gov- 
ernor Graham,  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  few  other  intimate  fi'iends,  that 
Wellington  did  save  his  life.     See  Testimony. 

f  Apart  from  the  brutal  insult,  however,  I  do  not  believe  that  Welling- 
ton ever  had  the  slightest  idea  that  Ney  would  be  shot.  He  thouglit  jSTey 
was  guilty,  and  should  be  punished  by  trial,  conviction,  anxiety,  suspense, 


I  pi      ?, 


iji^ft,;^:;:^^^^^*.-^^^^  14/iil 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  115 

Marshal  Key  was  led  out  of  his  prison  for  execution  on  De- 
cember 7th  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.*  Even  nature 
frowned.  A  cold,  clammy  fog  himg  like  a  funeral  pall  over 
the  murderous  scene.  The  following  account  is  taken  chiefly 
from  Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration"  and  from  sev- 
eral reports  of  Key's  trial  and  execution  : 

"  His  door  opened.  He  understood  the  sign.  He  descend- 
ed with  a  firm  step,  a  serene  brow,  and  a  lofty  look,  his  lips 
almost  wearing  a  smile,  but  without  any  theatrical  affectation, 
through  the  double  ranks  of  the  troops  drawn  up  on  the  steps 

etc.,  but  that  the  king  would  pardon  him.  Indeed,  I  believe  the  king 
deceived  Wellington.  I  have  no  doubt  there  was  an  understanding,  ex- 
pressed or  implied,  between  Wellington  and  the  king,  or  the  king's  minis- 
ters, acting  for  the  king,  that  Ney  should  not  be  shot ;  or,  if  not,  Wel- 
lington must  have  felt  that  the  king  would  not  and  could  not  refuse  to 
pardon  Ney  at  his  (Wellington's)  request ;  or,  lastly,  Wellington  knew 
that  he  had  the  power  to  save  the  marshal's  life  ;  and  I  do  not  doubt  that, 
in  case  of  necessity,  he  fully  intended  to  exercise  that  power.  So  great  a 
man  as  Wellington  could  not  have  permitted  the  atrocious  butchery  of  so 
great  a  hero  as  Ney,  for  he  was  a  hero,  say  what  you  will  about  his  dis- 
loyalty to  the  Bourbons. 

"It  was  necessary,"  said  Wellington  afterward,  "to  give  the  king  a 
great  moral  lesson,"  and  he  gave  it. 

The  king  certainly  did  deceive  Wellington  in  the  most  outrageous  man- 
ner as  to  the  paintings  in  the  Louvre,  and  Wellington  was  too  magnani- 
mous and  too  prudent  to  expose  the  king.  See  Stocqueler's  "  Life  of  Wel- 
lington." 

During  the  preceding  summer  and  autumn  the  king  and  his  ministers  had 
been  growing  more  insolent  toward  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  The  very 
fact  that  they  were  under  boundless  obligations  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
made  them  more  sensitive,  more  jealous,  more  suspicious,  slyer  and 
meaner. 

The  first  Cabinet  had  been  broken  up  and  a  new  one  had  taken  its  place, 
which  scarcely  treated  the  duke  with  common  civility.  During  Ney's 
trial  the  government  officers  spoke  sneeringly  of  Wellington  and  Bliicher 
as  foreigners  who  had  no  right  to  make  laws  for  the  people  of  France,  as 
intruders  upon  its  sacred  sail,  etc.  The  last  crowning  insult  at  the  Tuileries 
was  more  than  Wellington  could  bear. 

*  "  Never  did  execution  succeed  a  sentence  more  rapidly.  The  king's 
ministers  were  in  a  state  of  extreme  anxiety,"  etc. — Alison's  "  History  of 
Europe." 

The  Government  feared  a  general  uprising  of  the  people — no  doubt 
about  that — but  this  indecent  and  savage  hurry  could  not  have  pre- 
vented it. 


116        WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

of  the  staircase  and  in  tlie  vestibule  of  the  palace,  like  a  man 
happy  once  more  to  see  the  uniform,  the  arms,  and  the  troops 
■ — his  old  family. 

"  The  carriage  containing  Xey,  the  curate  of  St.  Sulpice, 
an  officer,  and  two  sub-officers,  proceeded  at  a  foot-pace 
through  the  broad  alleys  of  the  Luxembourg  and  between  the 
silent  ranks  of  the  soldiers.  It  suddenly  stopped  midway  be- 
tween the  railing  of  the  Luxembourg  and  the  Observatory,  in 
front  of  a  long  wall  of  a  black  and  fetid  enclosure  that  bor- 
dered an  alley  leading  out  of  the  avenue.*  Ney  was  aston- 
ished at  this  halt,  halfway  as  he  supposed,  when  the  carriage 
door  opened  and  he  was  requested  to  alight.  He  felt  that  he 
was  never  to  return,  and  gave  to  the  priest  who  accompanied 
him  his  snuff-box,  to  be  delivered  to  Madame  la  Marechale, 
and  some  pieces  of  gold  which  he  had  in  his  pocket  to  be 
distributed  among  the  poor.  He  then  embraced  the  priest 
and  marched  rapidly  toward  the  place  indicated  by  a  picket  of 
veterans,  sixty  strong,  which  had  been  on  the  ground  since 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning. f  He  stopped  about  eight  paces 
from  the  wall  ;  then  turning  round,  he  faced  the  platoon  of 
veterans  drawn  up  to  execute  him.  The  officer  commanding 
the  party  advanced  toward  him  and  requested  permission  to 
bandage  his  eyes.     Ney  stopped  him.     'Are  you  ignorant,' 

*  "  The  Government,"  says  Lamartine,  "was  ill  advised  even  in  the 
choice  of  a  place  of  execution." 

"  The  Bourbons  could  not,  dared  not,  attempt  to  carry  out  the  sentence 
of  the  law  with  the  forms  of  the  law.  The  Government  did  not  venture 
to  let  the  troojys  or  the  peoj)le  face  the  marshal." — Bourrienne. 

f  Why  had  these  veterans  been  on  the  ground  since  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  ? — four  hours  and  twenty  minutes  before  the  alleged  execution. 

It  was  resolved,  at  the  last  night  conclave  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  his  fam- 
ily, to  hasten  the  execution,  to  shoot  the  marshal  probably  at  or  about  five 
o'clock.     Wliy  was  the  hour  changed  ?    And  who  changed  it  ? 

See  Craik  and  McFarlane's  "  History  of  England." 

Bliicher  was  very  anxious  to  shoot  Napoleon  on  the  same  spot  whei'e  the 
Duke  d'Enghien  was  shot,  and  at  the  same  hour.  The  Bourbons  doubtless 
thought  that  by  murdering  Ney  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  a  clan- 
destine manner,  in  a  damp,  secluded  place,  by  yellowish,  ghoulish  torch- 
light, they  would  avenge  the  duke's  death,  and  would  at  the  same  time 
(and  this  was  their  main  object)  prevent  all  possibility  of  Ney's  escape. 
Wellington  no  doubt  upset  all  these  nice  calculations. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  117 

said  lie,  '  that  for  twenty-five  years  I  have  been  accustomed 
to  face  both  balls  and  bullets  ? '  The  officer,  disturbed,  hesi- 
tating, undecided,  expecting  perhaps  a  cry  of  pardon,  or  fear- 
ing to  commit  a  sacrilege  of  glory  by  firing  on  his  general, 
stood  mute  between  the  hero  and  his  platoon.  The  marshal 
availed  himself  of  this  hesitation  and  of  the  immobility  of  the 
soldiers  to  cast  a  final  reproach  upon  his  destiny.  '  I  protest 
before  God  and  my  country,'  he  exclaimed,  '  against  the  sen- 
tence which  has  condemned  me.  I  appeal  from  it  to  man,  to 
posterity,  to  God.'  These  words,  and  the  countenance  en- 
shrined in  their  memory  of  the  hero  of  the  camp,  shook  the 
steadiness  of  the  soldiers.  '  Do  your  duty,'  cried  the  com- 
mandant of  Paris  to  the  officer,  who  M^as  more  confused  than 
the  victim.  Ney  advanced  a  few  paces  ;  then,  turning  toward 
his  unwilling  executioners,  he  thus  addressed  them  :  '  My 
brave  comrades,  when  1  place  my  hand  upon  my  breast,  fire. 
See  you  take  a  sure  aim  at  the  heart.'  Then,  taking  off 
his  hat  with  one  hand,  he  gave  the  command  in  a  loud  and 
strong  voice  :  '  Soldiers,  straight  to  the  heart — fire  ! '  strik- 
ing his  hand  upon  his  heart  as  the  last  word  was  uttered.  A 
single  report  was  heard.  Key  fell  as  if  struck  with  a  thun- 
derbolt, without  a  convulsion  and  without  a  sigh.  The  sol- 
diers, the  officer,  the  spectators,  turned  away  their  eyes  from 
the  body  as  from  the  evidence  of  a  crime.  During  the  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  which  the  military  regulations  required  that  the 
corpse  should  lie  exposed  upon  the  place  of  execution,  no  spec- 
tators except  a  few  passers-by  and  some  women  from  the 
neighboring  houses  looked  upon  the  body,  or  mingled  their 
tears  with  its  blood.  Some  groups  demanded  with  a  low 
voice  who  the  criminal  was  thus  abandoned  on  the  public 
highway,  and  shot  to  death  by  soldiers  of  the  grand  army. 
None  had  the  courage  to  reply  that  it  was  the  body  of  the 
'  bravest  of  the  brave,'  the  hero  of  the  Beresina.  After  the 
legal  period  of  exposure,  a  cloth  was  thrown  over  the  body, 
and  it  was  carried  on  a  litter  to  the  coach,  which  immediately 
drove  off  to  the  Hospital  for  Foundhngs.  The  Sisters  of  the 
hospital  watched  over  the  body  during  the  night,  and  the  next 
morning  at  6.30  o'clock  it  was  carried  to  the  cemetery  of  Pere 


118        WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

la  Chaise  and  buried  without  the  sh'ghtest  ceremony.  The 
hearse  was  followed  by  three  coaches  containing  distant  rela- 
tives of  Madame  Ney.     Madame  I^ey  did  not  go.'"* 

According  to  the  official  'report,-^  Marshal  ITey  "  fell  dead 
instantly,  without  a  struggle  or  a  movement,  pierced  with 
twelve  balls,  nine  in  the  breast  and  three  in  the  head."  The 
report  continues  :  "  Conformably  to  military  regulations,  the 
body  remained  exposed  on  the  place  of  execution  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  There  were,  however,  but  few  persons  present ;  for 
the  populace,  believing  that  the  execution  would  take  place  on 
the  Place  de  Grenelle,  had  repaired  thither.  After  remaining 
exposed  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  body  was  placed  upon  a  h'tter, 
covered  with  a  cloth,  and  carried  by  the  veterans  to  the  Hos- 
pital for  Foundlings.  At  6.30  the  next  morning  it  was  con- 
veyed to  the  burying-ground  of  Pore  la  Chaise  in  a  hearse,  fol- 
lowed by  a  mourning-coach  and  several  other  coaches.  It 
had  been  enclosed  in  a  leaden  coffin  within  an  oak  one.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  night  the  religieuses  of  the  hospital  prayed  near 
the  body." 

Sir  William  Eraser,  author  of  "Words  on  Wellington," 
has  furnished  us  in  that  excellent  work  with  another  account 
of  Ney's  execution — to  wit  :\ 

"  The  late  Quentin  Dick,  who  sat  in  the  Irish  Parliament, 
and,  after  the  Union,  in  the  English  Parliament  for  many  years, 
whom  I  knew  well,  saw  Marshal  Ney  shot,  and  described  the 
execution  to  me.  The  marshal  was  brought  from  the  Luxem- 
bourg Palace  in  a  fiacre^  accompanied  by  an  officer  of  gen- 
darmerie and  two  sergeants.  He  was  dressed  in  a  dark-col- 
ored surtout,  dark  pantaloons,  white  neck-cloth,  and  round 
hat  with  crape  ;  he  was  in  mourning  at  the  time  for  (I  think) 
his  father-in-law.  He  wore  no  decoration.  On  his  leaving 
the  coach  the  picket  at  the  gate  of  the  Luxembourg  Gardens 

*  See  "  Histoire  Complete  du  proces  du  Mar^chal  Ney,"  Dumoulin  ; 
"  Report  of  Marshal  Nej^'s  Trial  and  Execution,"  London,  1816. 

f  See  "  Official  Report"  of  Count  de  Rocliecliouart,  and  of  Laisne,  In- 
spector-General of  Prisons. 

X  See  also  Sir  "William  Fraser's  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  London  Time^ 
1884. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  119 

close  by  were  beckoned  to  the  spot  ;  the  men  loaded  and 
fired  ;  the  marshal  fell  on  his  face,  and  the  body  was  at  once 
replaced  in  i\\Q  fiacre,  w^iich  drove  off — the  whole  transaction 
not  occupying  three  minutes.  It  was  all  over  before  the 
nurses  and  the  children — the  only  spectators — could  realize 
what  had  happened. ' ' 

Kow,  look  at  the  facts  :  The  execution  is  practically  pri- 
vate— at  the  back  of  the  Luxembourg  Gardens — at  an  unfre- 
quented spot — a  dark,  foul  alley — at  an  early  hour — very  few 
persons  present  * — some  children  with  their  nurses  are  almost 
the  only  spectators — the  soldiers  load  their  own  guns  f — Ney 
walks  several  paces  %  toward  the  wall,  turns  round,  faces  the 
soldiers — the  officer  advances  to  bandage  his  eyes — Ney  stops 
him  with  a  "  proud  interrogation" — the  officer  is  confused, 
stammers,  stumbles,  falters — Ney  speaks,  declares  before  God 
and  man  that  he  has  never  betrayed  his  country — protests 
against  the  iniquity  of  his  sentence — appeals  to  man,  to  pos- 
terity, to  God — rthe  soldiers  are  unnerved,  they  hesitate,  they 
waver — the  Commandant  of  Paris  exhorts  the  officer  to  do  his 
duty — Ney  advances  a  few  paces,  addresses  the  soldiers,  cau- 
tions them  not  to  fire  until  he  puts  his  hand  on  his  heart — he 
raises  his  hand,  gives  a  loud,  slow,  measured,  deliberate  com- 
mand— the  men  fire — Ney  falls  on  his  face  without  a  "  move- 
ment or  a  sigh' ' — no  examination  is  made  by  any  surgeon — 
no  coup  de  grace  is  given  § — the  soldiers  immediately  leave — 
they  do  not  defile  past  the  dead  body,  as  is  customary  at  execu- 
tions of  this  character  | — they  (with  the  officers  and  spectators) 

*  The  "  populace"  (more  than  ten  thousand  persons)  "  had  gone  out  to 
the  plain  of  Grenelle  to  witness  the  execution." 

f  In  military  executions  the  guns  are  loaded  apart  from  the  men  by  a 
non-commissioned  oflicer,  and  one  gun  always  contains  a  blank  cartridge. 
It  is  a  pleasant  fiction.  Each  soldier  is  at  liberty  to  think  that  he  has  the 
unloaded  gun.  The  firing  party  was  composed  of  tcterans — perhaps  of 
Ney's  old  soldiers  whom  he  had  often  led  to  battle  and  to  victory. 

X  At  least  forty. 

§  "  On  voulut  bien  lui  epargner  ce  qu'on  appelle  '  le  coup  de  grace.'  " 

"  Le  Marechal  Ney,  1815." — "WELSCmNGER. 

II  "  Ney  fell  forward,  his  face  turned  a  little  sideways.  No  one  ventured 
to  approach  the  body."—"  Dictionnaire  Universel." 

"  .  .  .  .  There    was    nothing    of   all   this"   (defiling    past  the    body, 


130  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

"  turn  away  their  eyes  as  from  the  evidence  of  a  crime" — the 
body  is  instantly  placed  on  a  litter,  covered  with  a  cloth,  and 
carried  by  the  veterans  to  the  coach  which  had  brought  'Eqj 
from  the  Luxembourg  prison.  The  "whole  transaction," 
says  Mr.  Dick,  "did  not  occupy  three  minutes.''''  "  It  was 
all  over' '  before  the  few  spectators  ' '  could  realize  what  had 
happened."  And  yet  the  official  report  states,  and  states 
twice,  that  conformably  to  military  regulations,  the  body 
remained  exposed  on  the  place  of  execution  a  q%mrter  of  an 
hour  /  /  ! 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Sir  William  Fraser  in  Lon- 
don in  1891,  and  he  told  me  that  he  had  grave  doubts  as  to 
the  execution  of  Marshal  ISTey  ;  that  the  official  account  was 
evidently  a  fabrication  ;  that  it  carried  the  evidence  of  false- 
hood upon  its  face  ;  that  Mr.  Quentin  Dick  was  a  man  of  the 
very  highest  character,*  and  his  word  could  not  for  a  moment 
be  doubted.  "It  is  probable,"  added  Sir  William,  "that 
Wellington  saved  ]S"ey's  life." 

M.  Claveau,  Sr.,  of  the  Paris  police,  also  saw  Marshal  Ney 
shot.  He  says  :  "I  was  present  at  the  sad  spectacle  quite 
unexpectedly,  and,  I  may  say,  unwillingly,  for  the  authorities 
gave  out  that  Marshal  Ney  was  to  be  shot  in  the  plain  of 
Grenelle.  Being  in  the  Luxembourg  quarter  that  morning, 
however,  and  seeing  something  unusual  about  to  take  place, 
I  went  along  with  a  few  others  to  the  fatal  spot.  It  may 
seem  a  trivial  thing  to  notice,  but  I  cannot  help  remarking  a 
circumstance  that  I  observed  as  being  indicative  of  the  char- 
acter of  our  Britannic  neighbors — that  as  soon  as  the  marshal's 
body  was  taken  up,  an  English  gentleman  suddenly  advanced 
and  gathered  up  several  small  stones  that  lay  about  the  path 
and  had  received  some   sprinklings   of   the   victim's   blood. 

etx;.)  "in  the  execution  of  Ney."— Bourrienne's  "Memoirs  of  Napo- 
leon." 

Colonel  Knollys,  of  the  Scotch  Guards,  says  that  he  "  was  on  duty  near 
the  Luxembourg  when  Ney  was  shot,  and  was  surprised  to  see  that  the 
murder  created  so  little  sensation.  There  was  no  assemblage,  no  excite- 
ment of  any  kind." 

*  Napier,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Peninsular  War,"  alludes  to  Quentin 
Dick  in  most  honorable  terms.— See  Appendix,  "  Controversial  Pieces." 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  121 

These  lie  carefully  wrapped  up,  and  precipitately  walked 
away.  These  will  doubtless  be  found  deposited  in  some  col- 
lection of  curiosities,  public  or  private,  over  the  Channel." 

Mr.  W.  H.  Ireland,  in  a  work  entitled  "  Anecdotes  of 
Napoleon,"  etc.,  says:  "At  the  Hospital  of  the  Maternite 
the  body  was  laid  out,  being  stripped  of  the  coat  and  necker- 
chief. Independent  of  the  physiognomy,  which  was  not 
handsome  (as  the  marshal  was  rather  hard-featured),  the  body 
and  the  limbs  presented  the  most  striking  symmetry  it  is  pos- 
sible to  conceive,  the  leg  in  particular  being  a  perfect  mode. 
A  smile  of  the  most  winning  placidity  still  seemed  to  play 
upon  the  countenance  of  the  defunct.  Under  the  roof  of  this 
hospital  the  corpse  continued  until  the  will  of  the  government 
was  made  known,  by  which  the  body  was  ordered  to  be  con- 
signed to  the  relatives  of  the  departed.  During  the  time  the 
body  lay  exposed  at  the  hospital  an  officer  who  was  on  duty 
commanding  the  escort  of  horse  that  attended  the  marshal  to 
his  fate,  made  a  correct  design  of  Ney,  precisely  as  he  ap- 
peared, from  which  a  very  beautiful  engraving  was  executed, 
but  only  distributed  privately,  as  the  police  would  destroy  the 
plate  and  every  impression  in  case  the  same  could  be  traced  by 
any  of  its  mouchards  or  emissaries.  The  next  morning  the 
body  of  Key  was  conveyed,  with  as  much  privacy  as  possible, 
to  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise.  Such  was  the  secrecy  and 
expedition  practised  upon  the  occasion  of  Key's  execution  that 
his  unfortunate  widow,  wholly  unconscious  of  the  tragical 
event,  repaired  to  the  Tuileries  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
a  petition  to  the  king,  when  she  learned  from  the  Duke  de 
Duras  that  the  marshal  had  ceased  to  exist." 

The  Hospital  of  the  Maternite,  to  which  the  body  of  the 
marshal  was  carried,  was  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the 
spot  where  Ney  was  supposed  to  be  shot.  It  was  a  queer- 
looking  building,  of  funereal  aspect,  surrounded  by  high, 
massive  walls,  carefully  guarded,  and  from  its  very  character 
free  from  the  prying  eyes  of  the  public  or  from  intrusion  of 
any  kind.  At  this  place  "  the  body  is  laid  out,  being  stripped 
of  the  coat  and  neckerchief"  (a  very  curious  layingout) — "  the 
body  and  the  limbs  present  the  most  striking  symmetry  it  is. 


122         WAS  MAESHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

possible  to  conceive,  the  leg  in  particular  being  a  perfect 
mode"  (notliing  is  said  about  the  wounds)  ;  "the  marshal's 
physiognomy  is  not  handsome,"  simply  because  "  the  marshal 
is  rather  hard-featured. ' '  That  is  all — there  is  no  disfigurement 
by  French  bullets. 

Now,  here  is  a  man  with  (historically)  twelve  balls  in  his 
body — Lamartine  says  thirteen — nine  in  the  breast,  and  three 
in  the  head — necessarily  in  the  face — not  only  shot  to  death, 
but  shot  to  pieces — a  ghastly  spectacle  ;  *  and  yet  a  smile,  and 
a  smile,  too,  of  the  most  winning  placidity,  seems  to  play  upon 
his  countenance  ! 

A  MIKACLE  ! 

Again,  "  an  officer  who  was  on  duty  coimnanding  the  escort 
of  horse  that  attended  the  marshal  to  his  fate  draws  a  heautiful 
'picture  of  this  same  horribly  mangled  man,  from  which  en- 
gravings are  made,  but  distributed  privately  by  Ney's  friends 
lest  the  "  government  spies"  should  find  them  out  and  "  pun- 
ish them. "     Strange, 

The  picture  of  a  man  shot  to  death  for  high  treason  would 
have  had  a  tendency  to  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  malcon- 
tents and  criminals.  Why,  then,  should  the  government  have 
wished  to  punish  people  for  circulating  such  pictures  ?  Who 
was  the  ofiicer  that  "  made  a  correct  design  of  ISTey  precisely 
as  he  appeared,"  with  that  "smile  of  the  most  winning 
placidity  playing  upon  his  countenance"  ?  He  was  in  the 
king's  service,  yet  undoubtedly  a  friend  of  Ney,  f  as  the  en- 
gravings were  "  distributed  privately  by  Key's  friends." 

The  government  ordered  that  the  body  of  the  marshal 
should  be  given  to  Madame  Ney  for  interment  in  the  ceme- 
tery of  Pere  la  Chaise.:}:     It  remained  in  the  hospital  until 

*  Wi&face,  too,  was  bruised  and  battered  by  the/«K.     He  fell  on  his  face. 

f  Was  it  La  Rochejaquelein,  Colonel  of  Grenadiers  ?  He  "  was  on  duty, 
commanding  the  escort  of  horse  that  attended  the  marshal  to  his  fate." 
He  had  served  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  and  was  badly  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  the  Moskowa,  where  Ney  particularly  distinguished  himself.  He 
probably  served  in  Key's  command.  It  is  known  that  he  was  opposed  to 
the  execution  of  Ney. — See  "  Memoirs  of  Count  de  Rochechouart." 

X  The  government  all  of  a  sudden  becomes  very  kind,  very  considerate, 
very  merciful. 


WAS  MARSHAL  2fEY  EXECUTED  ?  123 

daybreak  the  next  morning.  It  was  then  ''  conveyed  with  as 
much  secrecy  as  possible  to  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise 
and  buried  without  the  slightest  ceremony  of  any  kind  what- 
ever. Why  did  not  JSTey's  relatives,  on  this  cold  December 
morning,  wait  for  a  more  convenient,  a  more  fitting,  a  more 
decent  hour  ?  Why  this  haste,  this  secrecy,  this  unceremo- 
nious, this  unchristian,  this  inhuman  burial  ?  The  night  has 
many  mysteries.  It  favors  disguises  of  all  kinds.  Ney  could 
have  escaped  without  the  slightest  difficulty,  and  the  body  of 
another  man,  even  with  the  twelve  historic  balls  in  breast  and 
head,  could  with  the  utmost  ease  have  been  substituted  for 
that  of  Ney  ;  or  an  empty  coffin,  especially  a  leaden  coffin 
enclosed  within  an  oak  one,  might  have  answered  the  purpose  ; 
though  I  think  it  probable  the  body  of  another  man  was  sub- 
stituted for  that  of  the  marshal. 

I  do  not  know  who  the  English  gentleman  was  of  whom 
M.  Claveau  speaks.  Of  one  thing,  however,  I  am  quite  sure 
— he  was  no  relic  fiend,  no  curiosity-hunter.  Englishmen  are 
not  cast  in  that  kind  of  mould.  But  the  fact  of  which 
M.  Claveau  speaks  is  very  remarkable.  "As  soon  as  Key's 
body  was  taken  up,  an  Englishman  suddenly  advanced  and 
gathered  up  several  small  stones  that  lay  about  the  path  and 
had  received  some  sprinkling  of  the  victim's  blood.  These  he 
carefully  wrapped  up  and  precipitately  walked  away." 

Did  Wellington  send  him  there  ?  Did  he  wish  to  assure 
himself  of  the  marshal's  safety  ?  Did  he  distrust  the  Bour- 
bon government  ?  Was  there  any  blood  upon  the  stones, 
or  the  appearance  of  blood  ?  *  M.  Claveau  of  course  could 
not  tell  as  to  the  blood  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  It  is 
well  known  that  several  Englishmen — Sir  Robert  Wilson,  Mr. 
Crawford  Bruce,  Captain  Hutchinson,  and  others — did  attempt 
to  save  Xey's  life.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to  contrive  a 
plot  for  his  escape  from  prison,  but  they  failed  to  accomplish 

*  See  testimony  of  Dr.  J.  j\I.  Spainhour,  of  Valentine  Stirewalt,  and  of 
Robert  A.  Henderson.  Mr.  Henderson's  testimony  is  especially  important. 
His  grandfather  was  sent  by  Wellington  to  witness  the  so-called  execution 
of  Marshal  Ney.     He  reported  that  Ney  was  Tiot  shot. 


124         WA8  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  f 

their  object.*  There  were  many  Englishmen  in  Paris  who 
would  have  gone  every  possible  length  to  rescue  Marshal  Ney 
from  the  clutches  of  the  Bourbon  government,  feeling,  as 
they  did,  that  every  sentiment  of  honor  and  humanity  de- 
manded it.  Not  one  month  after  this  alleged  execution,  four 
Englishmen — Sir  Robert  Wilson  ;  Captain  Hutchinson,  of  the 
English  Guards  ;  Mr.  Crawford  Bruce,  and  Sergeant  Ellister, 
of  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  English  Guards — assisted  in  the  es- 
cape of  another  condemned  man — General  Lavalette,  of  Napo- 
leon's army.  These  gentlemen  were  prosecuted  by  the  French 
Government,  but  the  trial  was  a  mere  farce.  The  lightest 
possible  punishment  was  inflicted  upon  them — just  enough  to 
save  appearances,  f     In  his  defence  Sir  Robert  "Wilson  declared 

*  Lavalette 's  "  Memoirs,"  Appendix  ;  Bourrienne's  "  Memoirs  of  Napo- 
leon." 

f  The  king  even  declared  that  in  rescuing  Lavalette  the  English  officers 
had  done  him  a  great  service  !  although  he  had  refused  the  last  request 
of  Lavalette  and  his  friends,  "  that  Lavalette  might  be  shot  instead  of  guil- 
lotined." The  fact  is,  the  king  and  his  friends  were  scared  almost  out  of 
their  wits  when  Lavalette  escaped.  "  There  was  no  sleep  at  the  Tuileries 
that  night,"  said  an  officer  of  the  law  to  Lavalette  not  long  after  his  es- 
cape. "  You  can  form  no  idea  of  the  alarm  and  consternation  that  now 
fill  the  minds  of  all  persons  at  court.  They  are  convinced  that  your  escape 
is  the  result  of  a  great  plot  that  is  going  to  burst  over  them  ;  they  see  you 
already  at  the  head  of  the  old  (Bonapartist)  army  marching  against  the 
Tuileries."  "The  joy  of  the  whole  capital  in  witnessing  the  despair  of 
the  police  in  their  efforts  to  find  Lavalette  was  inexpressible."  Wherever 
the  telegraph  announced  his  escape,  acclamations  and  vivas  attested  the  de- 
light of  the  people." — "  Memoirs  of  Lavalette,"  vol.  ii.,  "  The  Court  of  the 
Tuileries." 

Lamartine  says  that  the  prime  minister,  the  Duke  de  Richelieu,  was 
privy  to  Lavalette's  escape.  "  He"  (Lavalette)  "  was  conducted  to  the 
office  of  Foreign  Affairs,  where  the  Duke  de  Richelieu  had  prepared  an 
asylum  for  him  with  one  of  the  principal  officers  of  his  department.  Lava- 
lette was  thus  protected  by  those  very  persons  who  were  directing  a  search 
to  be  made  for  him." — "  History  of  the  Restoration,"  vol.  iii. 

The  Duke  de  Richelieu  was  also  opposed  to  Ney's  death.  He  said  to  a 
friend  :  "  Time  may  acquit  Marshal  Ney  of  the  charge  of  treason." 

Sir  Robert  and  Captain  Hutchinson  were  not  court-martialed.  Welling- 
ton got  out  of  the  difficulty  in  the  neatest  possible  manner.  They  were 
reprimanded  by  the  Prince  Regent,  but  the  reprimand  was  so  exceedingly 
mild  that  it  really  amounted  to  an  approval  of  their  conduct.  It  greatly 
offended  the  Bourbons. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  135 

that  his  conduct  was  perfectly  justifiable.  "  There  existed," 
said  he,  "  a  convention — the  Convention  of  Paris — signed  by 
an  English  general  and  ratified  by  the  English  Government, 
and  the  trial  of  Lavalette  I  hold  to  be  a  manifest  violation  of 
the  twelfth  article  of  that  convention,  and  relieving  him  from 
the  eflEects  of  that  trial  was  discharging  a  debt  due  by  English- 
men." In  writing  to  Earl  Grey,  he  used  still  stronger  lan- 
guage :  "  Acknowledged  as  the  victim  of  breach  of  faith  with 
my  country,  he"  (Lavalette)  "  had  claims  to  my  personal 
efforts,  even  at  the  foot  of  the  scaffold.  ...  It  was  for  me 
to  decide  whether  rage  or  vengeance  should  be  satisfied  .  .  . 
whether  England  should  escape  from  the  shame  of  again  par- 
ticipating in  a  murder.  .  .  .  The  secret  had  been  entrusted 
first  to  young  Bruce,  who  had  been  authorized  to  communi- 
cate it  to  me.  It  was,  however,  necessary  to  find  some  per- 
sons of  trust  who  might  facilitate  the  necessary  dispositions, 
and  our  choice  fell  upon  Ellister,  of  the  Fifth  Eegiment  of  the 
Guards,  and  John  Hutchinson,  as  well  on  account  of  the  con- 
fidence we  placed  in  their  honor  as  because  we  knew  that  they 
had  been  already,  once  before,  engaged  in  a  business  of  the 
same  nature.  ...  I  have  learned  most  interesting  particu- 
lars, but  must  wait  to  communicate  them  until  I  can  write  by 
some  safe  opportunity.  I  shall  put  Marshal  Soult  on  his 
guard. "  *  If  these  men  did  so  much  to  save  the  life  of  Lava- 
lette, it  is  extremely  probable  that  they  did  much  more  to  save 
the  life  of  Ney.f 

Ney,  it  is  true,  had  dealt  the  English  some  heavy  blows  ; 
but  they  liked  him  all  the  better  for  that.  He  was  a  noble 
and  generous  enemy.  His  was  a  great  life,  not  free  from 
faults  (whose  life  is  ?),  but  still  a  glorious  life,  the  most  heroic 
of  all  lives.  There  was  not  an  Englishman  with  a  spark  of 
honor  or  feeling  in  his  bosom  that  did  not  shudder  at  the  bare 
thought  of  the  execution  of  such  a  man. 

The  English  "  public  almost  universally  commended  Sir  Robert  and  his 
friends,"— Walpole's  "History  of  England;"  Craik  and  McFarlane's 
"  History  of  England." 

*  Lavalette's  "  Memoirs,"  Appendix. 

•f  Sir  Robert  Wilson  greatly  admired  Marshal  ISTey,  although  Key  had 
defeated  him  in  the  Peninsular  War.     Sir  Robert  was  indeed  a  knightly  foe. 


126         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

What  was  the  husmess  to  which  Sir  Robert  Wilson  alludes 
in  his  letter  to  Earl  Grey  ?  "  Our  choice  fell  upon  Ellister, 
of  the  Fifth  Regiment,  and  John  Hutchinson  .  .  .  because 
we  knew  they  had  been  already,  once  before,  engaged  in  a 
business  of  the  same  nature.''' 

Did  not  Sir  Robert  refer  to  Ney's  escape  ?  I  think  it  very 
probable.  Captain  Hutchinson  was  deeply  interested  in  Ney's 
fate.  He  was  intimately  connected  with  Madame  Hutchin- 
son, who  had  pleaded  so  earnestly  with  the  duke  in  behalf  of 
Ney.  He  and  Ellister  were  the  very  men  to  undertake  that 
kind  of  "business."  Chivalrous,  cool,  brave,  exhaustless  in 
resources,  they  were  ready  to  do  and  dare  everything  to  vin- 
dicate the  national  honor  and  to  save  a  man  like  Ney.  Sir 
Robert  Wilson  and  Mr,  Bruce  were  men  of  the  same  stamp.* 
The  letter  of  Marshal  Moncey,  in  which  he  gives  his  reasons 
for  refusing  to  sit  on  Key's  trial,  is  a  model  of  its  kind.f  It 
made  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  upon  the  public  mind. 
It  touched  a  popular  chord  everywhere,  and  made  him  a  great 

*  It  is  true  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  Hutchinson,  and  Bruce  declared  before 
the  court  which  tried  them  for  aiding  Lavalette  that  they  had  not  the 
slightest  knowledge  of  any  plots  for  Ney's  escape  ;  that  they  had  never 
believed  it  possible  for  Ney  to  escape,  etc.  ;  but  the  very  boldness  and 
vehemence  of  their  denials  are  calculated  to  excite,  and  did  excite  at  the 
time,  the  gravest  suspicion  as  to  the  truth  of  their  statements.  If  they  had 
had  any  knowledge  of  or  been  concerned  in  any  plots  for  Ney's  escaue, 
they  would  have  been  the  veriest  fools  to  admit  it  on  the  stand  or  any- 
where else.     See  "  Wars  of  the  French  Revolution,"  etc. 

f  "  I  do  not  enter  into  the  question  of  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  Marshal 
Ney.  Your  justice  and  the  equity  of  his  judges  must  answer  for  that  to 
posterity,  which  weighs  in  the  same  balance  kings  and  their  subjects.  .  .  . 
My  life,  my  fortune,  all  that  I  hold  most  dear,  belongs  to  my  king  and  my 
country  ;  but  my  honor  is  my  own,  and  no  power  can  rob  me  of  it.  What ! 
shall  I  pronounce  upon  the  fate  of  Marshal  Ney  ?  Permit  me,  sire,  to  ask 
your  majesty  where  were  these  accusers  when  Ney  was  marching  over  the 
field  of  battle  ?  .  .  .  Can  France  forget  the  hero  of  the  Beresina  ?  Shall 
I  send  to  death  one  to  whom  France  owes  her  life,  her  families,  their  chil- 
dren, their  husbands  and  parents  ?  Ah,  if  the  unhappy  Ney  had  accom- 
plished at  Waterloo  what  he  had  so  often  done  before,  perhaps  those  who 
to-day  demand  his  death  would  have  implored  his  protection.  It  is  very 
dangerous  to  push  brave  men  to  despair.  Reflect,  sire  ;  it  is  perhaps  the 
last  time  that  truth  shall  come  near  your  throne." — Letter  of  Marshal 
Moncey  to  Louis  XVIII. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  127 

hero,  not  only  in  France  and  in  Europe,  but  in  every  part  of 
the  world.  True,  it  incensed  the  Bourbons,  but  it  encouraged 
Ney's  friends,  and,  in  the  estimation  of  every  high-minded 
and  generous  person,  did  Moncey  more  credit  than  all  the 
victories  he  ever  gained. 

It  was  not  true,  as  the  Duke  de  Richelieu  said,  that  Europe 
demanded  the  death  of  Ney.  England  certainly  did  not  de- 
mand it.  Russia  did  not  demand  it.  Austria  did  not  demand 
it.  Wellington  did  not  wish  it.  The  Emperor  Alexander 
said  on  several  occasions,  even  to  the  king  and  his  ministers, 
that  he  was  opposed  to  these  military  executions  ;  that  they 
could  do  no  good,  and  would  probably  do  much  harm. 
"  Clemency,"  he  declared  to  the  bloodthirsty  Duchess  d'An- 
gouleme,  "  will  gain  hearts  and  will  subdue  them  ;  severity 
will  bring  you  countless  evils."  The  Emperor  of  Austria  en- 
tertained the  same  sentiments.*  General  Jomini,  of  the  Rus- 
sian army,  very  near  the  person  of  Alexander,  pleaded  Ney's 
cause  with  a  generous  earnestness  which  did  him  much  credit. 
Europe  demanded  no  such  "  reparation,"  and  the  Duke  de 
Richelieu  well  knew  it.  It  was  a  fiction  invented  for  "  rea- 
sons of  state,  "t  Indeed,  these  state  fictions  were  as  thick  as 
forest  leaves.  ' '  Convict  N  ey , "  said  the  king's  representatives, 
''  and  the  king  will  pardon  him.  This  act  of  clemency  will 
greatly  strengthen  the  king's  government."  "  Give  a  verdict 
against  Lavalette  and  his  life  shall  be  spared,  while  justice  will 
be  satisfied,  society  avenged,  and  the  king's  bounty  will  shine 
in  all  its  splendor,"  etc.ij:  Louis  XVIII.  pretended  to  be  a 
"  father"  to  his  people,  and  he  was  the  cruellest  of  masters, 
the  Pharaoh  of  Pharaohs.  His  "  God-given"  charter  was 
scarcely  worth  the  paper  upon  which  it  was  written. 

When  everything  had  been  arranged  for  Lavalette's  depar- 
ture, Bruce  took  leave  of  Lavalette,  Captain  Hutchinson,  and 

*  The  King  of  Bavaria  wrote  a  letter  to  Louis  XVIII.  in  which  he  told 
him  that  these  military  executions  were  simply  shameful. 

f  The  tyrant's  plea  always.  "  Convict  Moreau  for  reasons  of  state," 
said  Bonaparte's  pliant  tools,  "and  the  First  Consul  will  pardon  him." 
See  "  Last  Days  of  the  Consulate,"  Fauriel. 

X  "  Memoirs"  of  Lavalette  ;  Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration;" 
"  Court  of  the  Tuileries." 


128         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Sir  Robert  Wilson,  saying,  "  I  am  going  to  spend  tliree  days 
at  tlie  conntrj-seat  of  the  Princess  de  la  Moskowa — for  you 
will  not  want  me  any  longer."  * 

This,  it  seems  to  me,  is  a  significant  circumstance.  Why 
should  Bruce  have  taken  so  much  interest  in  the  Princess  de 
la  Moskowa  ?  He  was  "  going  to  spend  three  days  at  her 
country-seat. "  t  Where  were  Ney's  friends,  devoted  and 
numerous,  at  the  time  of  the  alleged  execution  ?  They  were 
watchful  and  determined.  They  were  acquainted  with  every 
move  in  the  game  that  his  enemies  were  playing.  They 
feared  treachery.  They  had  spies  everywhere — in  the  cham- 
ber of  peers,  in  the  Luxembourg  prison,  in  the  Bourbon  pal- 
ace, among  the  police  (still  controlled  in  great  part  by  Fouche, 
one  of  Ney's  strongest  friends),  among  the  soldiers,  on  the 
streets— spies  everywhere.  Even  the  very  guards  who  were 
more  immediately  about  Ney's  person  in  the  Luxembourg 
prison,  some  of  whom  were  chosen  with  especial  reference  to 
their  devotion  to  the  royal  cause — men,  for  the  most  part,  of 
gentle  birth — were  opposed  to  the  execution  of  J^ey.  They 
treated  him  with  great  tenderness  and  consideration,  and  did 
not  hesitate  to  denounce,  in  no  measured  terms,  those  mad- 
men who  thirsted  for  Key's  blood.  In  less  than  one  hour 
after  Joey's  condemnation  the  fact  was  known  in  every  part 
of  Paris,  Ney's  friends  were  now  especially  vigilant.  They 
could  not  be  deceived.  They  knew,  or  the  leaders  knew,  that 
Key  would  not  be  shot  on  the  plain  of  Grenelle.  Where 
were  they,  then,  on  the  morning  of  December  Yth  ?  Why 
were  they  conspicuously  absent  from  the  so-called  place  of 
execution  ?  Key  was  but  indifferently  guarded.  There  were 
no  English  soldiers,:}:  no  Prussian  soldiers,  only  a  few  French 
soldiers  whose  hearts  were  not  in  the  infamous  work  they  were 

*  "  Memoirs"  of  Lavalette. 

t  Coudreaiix,  uear  Chateaudun. 

X  "  The  English  army  were  not  all  satisfied  at  being  employed  to  keej) 
the  French  quiet  while  the  men  who  had  fled  at  the  sight  of  Napoleon 
butchered  the  soldiers  who  had  faced  every  army  in  Europe.  ...  A 
scheme  which  had  been  prepared  to  rescue  Ney  was  now  directed  to  save 
Lavalette." — Bourrienne's  "Memoirs,"  new  edition,  edited  by  Colonel 
R.  W.  Phipps. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  129 

•called  upon  to  do.  Key's  friends,  a  Imndred  times  as  numer- 
ous, and  ready  to  die  for  him  at  any  moment,  could  easily  hav^e 
overpowered  them,  especially  as  a  very  large  majority  of  them 
— possibly  every  man — wished  to  be  overpowered. 

The  marshal's  friends  had  heard  of  the  atrocious  insult 
which  Wellington  had  received  the  night  before.  They  knew 
that  the  king  was  powerless  *  M'ithout  the  duke's  support,  and 
that  Wellington  would  under  no  circumstances  assist  the  king 
in  the  execution  of  Ney.f 

In  any  case,  would  Ney's  friends — than  whom  no  man  ever 
had  warmer  or  braver — have  basely  deserted  him  at  this  try- 
ing moment  ?  Would  they  not  have  been  present  to  testify, 
silently  at  least,  their  boundless  affection  for  him  ? 

N"o  one  at  the  execution  !  jSTo  one,  not  even  a  clergyman, 
at  the  unceremonious,  brutal  burial  at  the  heathenish  hour  of 
six  and  a  half  o'clock  on  a  December  morning  !  No  sign  of 
grief  or  indignation  anywhere  !  Had  human  nature  sunk  so 
low? 

Why  did  not  Madame  Ney  erect  a  monument  to  the  mem- 
ory of  her  husband  ?  She  doubtless  could  have  done  so  after 
the  revolution  of  1830.  Louis  Philippe  gave  her  a  pension  of 
twenty-five  thousand  francs,  and  permitted  her  to  place  a 
handsome  bust  of  the  marshal  in  the  museum  at  Versailles. 
Her  eldest  son,  the  Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  married  in  1828 
the  dauo-hter  of  Laffitte,  the  rich  banker,  and  was  afterward 
an  aide-de-camp  of  Louis  Philippe.     Laffitte  himself  was  for  a 

*  "  If  the  allies  had  evacuated  France,  Louis  le  Desire  would  have  ordered 
his  carriage  and  have  been  at  the  frontier  before  they  had  reached  it." — 
Bourrienue's  "  Memoirs  of  Napoleon." 

f  The  Duke  de  Feltre  (General  Clarke),  an  old  officer  of  the  empire,  was 
War  Minister.  The  Duke  de  Fezensac,  who  loved  and  adored  Ney,  had 
married  Clarke's  daughter,  and  exercised  a  powerful  influence  over  his 
father-in-law.  M.  de  Gazes  was  Minister  of  Police,  and  Queen  Hortense. 
devoted  to  Ney,  had  the  duke  completely  under  her  thumb,  though  he 
seemed  to  be  loyal  to  the  king.  He  did  whatever  she  told  him  to  do.  See 
Lamartine's  "  History  of  the  Restoration." 

Both  Talleyrand  and  Fouche  were  anxious  to  save  Ney,  especially 
Fouche.  They  were  skilled  in  plots  of  all  kinds,  and  though  out  of  office, 
had  more  real  power  over  the  French  people  than  any  two  men  in  France 
— perhaps  than  any  ten  men. 


130         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

short  time  a  member  of  the  king's  cabinet.  So  was  Dupin, 
one  of  Ney's  counsel.  The  king  could  not  have  objected  to 
the  erection  of  a  simple  monument  at  Nej's  grave  in  Pere  la 
Chaise. 

In  1848  Louis  Napoleon  came  into  power,  and  then  cer- 
tainly Madame  Nej  could  have  erected  the  most  costly,  the 
most  imposing  monument.  But  she  did  nothing  of  the  kind. 
She  paid  no  attention  to  the  grave  of  her  husband.  In  1853 
the  French  Government  erected  a  statue  of  the  marshal  on 
the  spot  where  he  was  supposed  to  be  executed,  but  his  grave 
— the  most  sacred  of  places — was  utterly  neglected  alike  by 
the  government  and  by  his  family. 

Madame  Key  died  in  July,  1854:.  She  never  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  though  she  was  a  most  beautiful  and  accomplished 
woman,  and  in  1815  was  but  thirty-three  years  of  age.  She 
loved  the  marshal  with  deathless  affection,  and  her  whole  life, 
especially  after  the  July  revolution  of  1830,  was  sacredly  de- 
voted to  a  formal  rehabilitation  of  her  husband's  memory. 
Her  children  aided  her  in  every  possible  way,  and  proved 
themselves  worthy  to  bear  the  name  of  Ney. 

In  1891  I  visited  JSTey's  grave,  so-called,  in  the  cemetery 
of  Pere  la  Chaise.  There  is  nothing  whatever  to  mark  the 
spot.  The  ground  is  perfectly  flat,  and  there  is  no  headstone, 
no  footstone,  no  memorial  of  any  kind.  Underneath  the  rusty 
iron  gate  is  a  small,  narrow  stone  slab,  and  on  this  slab  is 
roughly  carved  or  cut  by  some  unknown  hand  the  one  word 
"Ney."* 

*  "  The  body  of  the  marshal,"  says  Welschinger  ("  Le  Marechal  Ney, 
1815"),  "  was  buried  in  the  family  vault.  Eleven  months  afterward  the 
Minister  of  Police  gave  La  Marechale  Ney  permission  to  construct  in  the 
cemetery  of  P(5re  la  Chaise  a  special  vault  or  tomb  in  which  to  deposit  the 
remains  of  her  husband."  In  removing  the  body,  "  on  ne  travailla  que  la 
nuit  et  Ton  pla^a  le  corps  dans  le  caveau,  au  lever  du  jour,  a  huis  clos." 
Why  this  secrecy,  this  mystery  eleven  months  after  the  burial  ?  They 
worked  "  all  night,"  and  ceased  operations  only  at  "break  of  day."  As 
Louis  Philippe  once  said,  "  Some  other  man  may  have  filled  Nej^'s  grave." 
Doubtless  Madame  Ney  did  not  wish  that  the  body  of  another  man  should 
lie  in  the  grave  that  was  supposed  to  be  her  husband's.  She  had  pre- 
viously applied  for  permission  to  remove  the  body  of  the  marshal,  but  her 
request  was  not  granted.     Was  an  emptv  coffin  buried  in  the  new  caveau  f 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  131 

1  think  that  I  have  now  established  a  case  of  very  great 
jprobahility  as  to  Ney's  escape.  Those  who  do  not  agree  with 
me  must  prove  that  Marshal  Ney  was  executed.  The  ojius 
j)robandi  is  transferred  to  history.  And  if  Ney  escaped,  it 
is  ahnost  certain  that  he  came  to  the  United  States.  Before 
lie  was  tried,  even  before  he  was  arrested,  his  thoughts  had 
turned  to  this  country  as  a  place  of  refuge  from  the  Bourbon 
storm.  Smarting  under  Napoleon's  unjust  charges  (for  Napo- 
leon had  thrown  the  blame  of  his  defeat  at  Waterloo  upon 
Marshal  Ney),  and  disgusted  with  the  emperor's  unsoldierly, 
cowardly  flight  from  his  last  battle-field,  Ney  appeared  before 
the  Chamber  of  Peers  four  days  after  the  battle  and  made  the 
following  speech  :  "  The  army  is  destroyed.  You  must  recall 
the  Bourbons.  As  for  me,  I  will  retire  to  the  United  States. '  '* 
And  so,  during  his  trial,  he  said  to  his  counsel,  "  I  do  not 
fear  death  ;  I  have  beheld  it  a  thousand  times  under  every 
aspect  in  the  field  of  battle  and  amid  the  snows  of  Russia,  yet 
I  confess  to  you  that  I  wish  to  live.  I  have  a  young  and 
handsome  wife  whom  I  love  vs^ith  all  the  tenderness  of  oar 
first  happy  days  ;  I  have  children  scarcely  out  of  the  cradle 
to  love,  to  bring  up,  to  protect  :  these  things  bind  me  to  exist- 

At  first  it  was  necessary  to  keep  up  appearances,  to  remove  all  susp  icion 
to  kill  all  reports  as  to  Ney's  escape  ;  for  it  was  reported  that  he  had  es- 
caped. The  official  report  and  all  the  histories  that  I  have  ever  seen  state 
that  Ney  died  instantly,  as  if  struck  with  a  thunderbolt ;  but  one  of  the 
marshal's  relatives,  now  living,  informs  me  that  the  marshal  did  not  die 
instantly,  that  he  lived  several  hours  after  he  was  shot  (though  without 
regaining  consciousness),  and  that  this  fact  gave  rise  to  the  report  that  he 
had  escaped  and  had  gone  to  St.  Helena  to  rejoin  the  emperor.  See  also 
Bourrienne's  "  Memoirs,"  revised  edition,  as  to  reports  of  ISTey's  escape. 
It  was  said,  apparently  by  authority,  at  the  time  of  the  disinterment,  that 
the  ' '  bullet-holes  in  Ney 's  forehead  were  distinctly  visible. ' '  Possibly  there 
were  bullet-holes  in  the  exhumed  skull.  But  whose  skull  was  it  ?  See 
Bourrienne's  "  Memoirs  of  Napoleon,"  revised  edition,  and  "  AFaggot," 
etc. ,  by  the  author  of ' '  Bubbles  from  the  Brunnen  of  Nassau, ' '  London,  1853. 

The  Princess  de  la  Moskowa  was  not  buried  by  the  side  of  her  husband. 
Why  ?  The  grave  of  Marshal  Lefebvre  is  in  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la 
Chaise,  not  far  from  the  so-called  grave  of  Ney,  and  Madame  Lefebvre  is 
buried  by  his  side. 

*  It  will  be  remembered  that  when  he  fled  into  Switzerland  his  intention 
was  to  escape  to  the  United  States. 


132         WA8  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

ence.  And  who  knows  if,  after  a  retirement  and  an  expia- 
tion of  some  years,  the  course  of  events,  mj  country,  the  king 
himself,  revolutions,  or  war,  may  not  recall  me  to  the  assist- 
ance of  France,  and  give  me  an  opportunity  of  one  of  those 
acts  of  devotion  and  for  one  of  tliose  victories  which  redeem 
in  the  life  of  a  soldier,  as  in  that  of  Turenne  and  of  Conde, 
faults  and  errors  which  are  blotted  out  forever  by  the  im- 
mensity of  the  service  ?  To  live  still  to  find  again  one  of 
those  opportunities  of  redeeming  my  life  would  be  to  live 
twice." 

He  condemned  himself.  He  felt  that  banishment  would 
be  a  just  punishment.  His  best  friends  would  have  acquiesced 
in  that  verdict.  One  of  them  said,  "  We  would  hail  banish- 
ment to  America  with  transports  of  joy." 

I  can  find  no  trace  of  Peter  S.  Ney  in  the  United  States 
prior  to  the  year  1819.  Chapman  Levy,  a  distinguished 
lawyer  of  South  Carolina,  said  that  he  was  told  by  some 
Prench  refugees  that  they  saw  P.  S.  Ney  in  Georgetown, 
S.  C,  in  the  early  part  of  the  fall  of  1819,  and  recognized 
him  as  Marshal  ]^ey,  whom  they  had  frequently  seen  in 
France  ;  that  when  P.  S.  ISTey  heard  of  this  recognition  he 
left  Georgetown,  and  no  one  knew  where  he  went,*  In 
September  or  October,  1819,  Colonel  Benjamin  Rogers,  of 
Brownsville,  S.  C,  saw  P.  S.  ]^ey  at  a  hotel  in  Cheraw, 
S.  C,  and  engaged  him  to  teach  the  village  school.  He 
taught  in  Brownsville  about  three  years,  and  then  went  to 
Mocksville,  N.  C.f  He  taught  in  Mocksville,  in  Iredell 
County,  and  in  other  portions  of  Western  ISTorth  Carolina 
until  1828.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Mecklenburg  County, 
Ya,,  where  he  taught  about  two  years.  He  returned  to 
Korth  Carolina  about  January  1st,  1830.  From  that  time 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
chiefly  in  Lincoln,  Iredell,  Davie,  Cabarrus,  and  Rowan 
counties  until  August,  18M.  During  the  fall  of  1844  and 
the  winter  of  1844-45  he  taught  in  Darlington  District,  S.  C. 


*  See  testimony  of  Captain  F.  M.  Rogers, 
f  See  testimony  of  Colonel  John  A.  Rogers. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  133 

He  then  returned  to  North  Carolina,  and  tanght  in  Lincohi 
and  Rowan  counties  until  his  death  in  18i6,* 

Now,  if  P.  S.  Ney  were  Marshal  Nej,  how  did  he  escape 
from  France,  and  where  was  he  from  the  time  of  his  landing 
in  this  country  until  the  fall  of  1819  ?  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Dalton, 
of  Iredell  County,  N.  C,  says  :  "  1  was  a  pupil  of  P.  S.  Ney 
for  several  years.  He  taught  near  the  residence  of  my  father. 
Colonel  Placebo  Houston,  with  whom  he  boarded.  I  knew 
him  well.  He  told  me  twice,  when  perfectly  sober,  how  he 
escaped,  and  how  he  spent  the  first  few  years  of  his  life  in 
the  United  States.  He  said  :  '  My  name  is  not  Peter  Stuart 
Ney.  I  am  Marshal  Ney.  History  states  that  I  was  exe- 
cuted, but  I  escaped  death  through  the  aid  of  my  friends  and 
others.  On  the  day  appointed  for  the  execution  I  was  told 
that  my  life  was  to  be  spared.  1  was  instructed  to  give  the 
command  to  fire,  and  to  fall  while  giving  it,  so  that  the  balls 
might  pass  over  me.  I  carried  out  my  instructions.  In  bat- 
tle I  never  knew  what  fear  was,  but  when  I  took  my  position 
in  front  of  the  soldiers,  and  gave  the  command  to  fire, 
hedoust ' — that  was  the  very  word  he  used — '  I  was  almost 
frightened  to  death.  I  was  taken  up  by  the  soldiers  ' — I 
think  he  said  they  belonged  to  his  old  command — '  and  car- 
ried to  the  hospital.  That  night  I  was  disguised,  and  went 
to  Bordeaux.  From  that  place  I  sailed  to  the  United  States, 
landing  in  Charleston  the  latter  part  of  January,  1816.  The 
next  few  years  I  spent  in  seclusion,  and  prepared  myself  for 
teaching  by  studying  the  classics  and  the  higher  mathematics.' 
He  said  he  thought  every  one  ought  to  have  a  visible  means 
of  support,  and  that  he  chose  the  profession  of  teaching,  be- 
cause it  was  in  many  respects  hke  the  military  profession,  to 
which  he  had  been  accustomed  all  his  life.  He  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  engaging  in  any  occupation  where  he 
would  be  commanded  or  controlled  by  others  whom  he  might 
regard  as  his  inferiors.  In  the  school-room  he  would  be 
supreme  ;  hence  he  remained  in  seclusion  three  or  four  years 


*  Testimony  of  Burgess  Gaither,  Mrs.  Clement,  Mrs.  Dalton,  and  IMrs. 
Hughes. — P.  S.  Ney's  "  School  Register." 


134         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

— I  forget  the  exact  time — -in  order  to  qualify  himself  for  his 
new  profession. ' '  * 

But  there  were  probably  other  and  weightier  reasons  for  so 
long  a  concealment.  He  doubtless  thought  that  in  three  years 
and  a  half  the  reports  of  his  escapef  would  be  forgotten,  or, 
at  any  rate,  would  pass  out  of  the  public  mind.  The  danger 
of  recognition  would  be  greatly  lessened,  and  in  case  of  rec- 
ognition, the  statements  of  those  who  had  identified  him  as 
Marshal  Ney  would  be  generally  discredited.  People  would 
ridicule  the  idea  of  Ney  being  alive  in  the  United  States,  and 
his  alleged  execution  would  become  an  accepted  historical  fact.  X 

*  Mrs.  Dalton  is  a  remarkably  intelligent  woman,  of  high  social  position, 
and  an  unimpeachable  witness  in  every  respect. 

Colonel  Thomas  F.  Houston,  of  Missouri,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Dalton,  says 
that  P.  S.  Ney  told  him  that  as  he  passed  the  file  of  soldiers  drawn  up  to 
execute  him,  he  whispered,  "Aim  high!"  that  his  command  in  battle 
had  always  been,  "  Aim  low  1"  Colonel  Houston  thinks  P.  S.  Ney  said 
that  he  landed  at  Charleston,  January  29th,  1816.  See  testimony  of  Mrs. 
Dalton  and  Colonel  Houston. 

•j-  "  It  was  impossible  to  get  the  public  to  believe  that  Ney  had  really 
been  killed  in  this  manner,  and  nearly  to  this  day  we  have  had  fresh 
stories  recurring  of  the  real  Ney  being  discovered  in  America." — Bour- 
rienne's  "  Memoirs  of  Napoleon,"  revised  edition.  See  also  statement  of 
one  of  the  marshal's  relatives,  already  given. 

:j:  Welschinger("  Le  Marechal  Ney,  1815")  says  the  firing  party  was  com- 
posed of  "  twelve  men — four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  four  fusileers — all 
veterans.  Tliey  were  in  two  ranks.  The  marshal  was  killed  instantly, 
having  received  eleven  balls  out  of  the  twelve  :  one  in  the  right  arm,  one 
in  the  neck,  three  in  the  head,  and  six  in  the  breast.  Some  days  after  the 
execution  an  officer  of  the  Fifth  Hussars  visited  the  place  where  Ney  had 
fallen.  They  had  taken  away  the  earth,  he  said,  so  as  entirely  to  destroy 
all  traces  of  his  blood.  The  officer  saw  on  the  wall  six  traces  or  marks  of 
balls,  one  of  which  was  at  the  top."  How,  then,  did  eleven  balls  strike 
the  marshal  ?  One  ball  was  at  the  top  of  the  wall.  Welschinger  says  one 
soldier  was  agitated,  and  missed  the  Marshal.  One  gun  contained  a  blank 
cartridge.  Ten  balls  only  could  have  struck  the  Marshal.  Welschinger 
has  a  bad  memory.  All  those  who  were  in  any  way  connected  with  the 
supposed  execution — Count  de  Rochechouart,  who  was  appointed  to 
"  make  the  necessary  dispositions  for  carrying  into  effect  the  sentence  of 
the  court ;"  La  Roche jaquelein,  who  commanded  the  Grenadiers  ;  Laisne, 
Inspector-General  of  Prisons  ;  Adjutant  St.  Bias,  who  was  struck  dumb  ; 
the  veterans  detailed  for  the  execution,  even  the  soldier  who  drove  the 
horses  of  the  coach  containing  the  marshal — all  were  friends  of  Ney,  and 
bitterly  opposed  to  his  execution. — Welschinger  ;  "  Memoirs  of  Count  de 
Rochechouart ;"  Lamartine's  "  Historv  of  the  Restoration." 


THE  EARL  OF  ELGIN. 
(ThiH  Portrait  bear,  a  striking  resemijlance  to  Peter  S.  Ney.     See  note  on  opposite  page.) 


NOTE. 

(Ji'ixio>,s  of  wituesses  who  wcro  personally  acciuaiiiK  d  witli  P.  S.  Xcy 
ou  the  portrait  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin  : 

Dr.  A.  H.  Graham  :  "  The  portrait  of  the  p:arl  of  Elgin  is  a  fair  likeness 
of  P.  S.  Ney  in  size  and  feature.  Ney's  eyebrows  lieavier,  eyes  more 
sunken,  mouth  and  chin  indicated  more  firmness,  as  did  tiie  whole  (xpriT- 
sion  of  his  face." 

Rev.  Dr.  Basil  G.  Jones  :  "  Elgin's  head,  neck,  shoulders,  and  breast  like 
P.  S  ISTey's  ;  also  face  and  general  appearance.  "When  I  first  looked  iit 
the  engraving  I  thought  it  was  P.  S.  Key's  picture." 

Mrs.  Dalton,  and  N.  L.  Clarke  (Decatur,  INIiss.)  :  "  Elgin's  face  shorter 
than  P.  S.  Ney's.  Xey's  forehead  higher.  Top  of  Ney's  head  more  flat, 
and  longer  from  front  to  back  ;  nose  longer  and  more  round  at  the  end  ;  a 
good  likeness  in  general,  but  proportions  not  accurate  ;  and  Elgin  lacks 
Ney's  stern  and  commanding  appearance." 

H.  C.  Hamilton,  Hickory,  N.  C.  :  "  A  fair  likeness  of  P.  8.  Ney.  Nose 
and  forehead  resemble  Ney's.  Ney's  mouth  firmer,  and  indicated  more 
determination  ;  lips  rather  thick,  but  closely  compressed.  Ney's  eyel)rows 
more  heavy  and  full." 

P.  H.  Cain  :  "  Not  an  exact  likeness  of  Ney,  but  nearer  to  it  than  any- 
thing I  have  ever  seen." 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Sloan  :  "  A  striking  resemblance  to  P.  S.  Ney  ;  was 
startled  when  I  looked  at  it." 

Rev.  Dr.  R.  B.  Anderson  :  "  A  fair  likeness  of  P.  S.  Ney.  Ney  had  a 
higher  forehead  and  a  ciuicker  play  of  expression." 

Dr.  D.  B.  "Wood  :  "  P.  S.  Ney's  head  and  face  more  massive  ;  forehead 
higher  and  larger." 

Valentine  Stircwalt  :  "A  tolerably  correct  likeness.  Ney's  eyes  w^ere 
keener,  and  his  mouth  did  not  turn  down  at  the  corners  like  Elgin's.  Ney 
had  a  straight  mouth. ' ' 

Harrison  Cook  :  "  Elgin  portrait  resembles  P.  S.  Ney.  Ney  had  a  higher 
forehead  and  a  sterner,  more  determined  expression." 


CHAPTER    II. 


TESTIMONY. 


CoLONET.  John  A.  Rogeks,  Florence,  S.  C.  (September, 
1888)  :  "  I  first  saw  Peter  S.  Ney  at  my  home  in.  Browns- 
ville, Marlborough  County,  S.  C,  in  the  fall  of  1819.  My 
father.  Colonel  Benjamin  Rogers,  met  him  at  a  hotel  in 
Cheraw  in  September  or  October  (1819),  and  engaged  him 
as  a  teacher.  He  taught  with  great  success  about  three  years, 
and  then  went  to  North  Carohna  (in  1822  or  1823),  where  he 
taught  for  several  years.  I  saw  him  often  afterward,  for  he 
made  occasional  visits  to  his  friends  in  South  Carolina,  and 
taught  again  in  the  State  about  1844.  He  told  my  father 
that  he  was  a  French  refugee  ;  that  he  had  left  France  for 
political  reasons,  but  would  give  no  further  account  of  his 
life.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkably  fine  presence,  and  would 
arrest  attention  anywhere.  No  stranger  could  meet  him  with- 
out asking  the  first  individual  that  he  saw,  Who  is  that  man  ? 
He  was  tall — I  suppose  about  six  feet  high — large,  not  cor- 
pulent, but  muscular  ;  a  little  round-shouldered,  though  other- 
wise erect,  with  fine  military  form  and  carriage.  He  looked 
every  inch  the  soldier,  even  when  he  was  quite  an  old  man. 
His  head  was  slightly  bald  on  top.  His  hair  was  not  a  de- 
cided auburn,  but  was  what  might  be  called  a  reddish-blonde. 
His  complexion  was  fair  and  ruddy  ;  chin  round  ;  mouth 
tolerably  large  ;  lips  compressed  ;  nose  high  and  large  ;  eye- 
brows heavy  and  full  ;  forehead  broad,  high,  and  massive. 
His  eyes  are  hard  to  describe.  They  were  a  dark  blue,  verg- 
ing on  gray,  with  remarkably  large  pupils.  When  quiet, 
they  had  the  mildest  expression,  but  when  excited,  they  were 
terrible — an  eagle  would  dart  from  them  in  sheer  envy.  He 
spoke   Enghsh  well,  though  with  a  slightly  foreign   accent. 

*  For  a  list  of  witnesses,  see  Appendix  C. 


136         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

He  appeared  to  be  more  of  a  Scotchman  than  a  Frenchman. 
He  was  very  neat  in  his  person  and  dress.  He  always  wore  a 
long  blue  coat,  cut  in  a  semi-military  style.  He  was  very 
reserved  in  his  manners,  and  would  allow  no  one  to  take  the 
slightest  liberty  with  him.  I  was  in  the  school-room  in  1821 
when  a  newspaper  was  brought  to  him  by  one  of  the  boys 
containing  the  announcement  of  Napoleon's  death  at  St. 
Helena.  He  read  it,  turned  deathly  pale,  fainted,  and  fell  to 
the  floor,  exactly  as  if  he  had  been  shot.  Some  of  the  older 
scholars  threw  water  on  his  face,  which  soon  revived  him. 
He  dismissed  his  school,  went  to  his  room,  and  shut  himself 
up  for  the  balance  of  the  day.  He  burnt  a  large  quantity  of 
his  papers — perhaps  everything  that  he  thought  might  lead  to 
his  identity.  Among  other  things  burnt  was  a  very  exact 
likeness  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  The  next  morning  Mr. 
Key  did  not  make  his  appearance  as  usual,  and  my  father 
went  to  look  after  him.  He  found  him  with  his  throat  cut.* 
The  blade  of  the  knife  that  did  the  work  was  broken  in  the 
wound.     This  probably  saved  his  life. 

"  In  the  absence  of  the  family  physician,  my  father  and 
Hr.  Julius  Poellnitz,  son  of  Baron  Poellnitz,  a  Polish  exile, 
constituted  themselves  surgeons,  and  sewed  up  the  wound. 
"When  my  father  reproved  Mr.  Ney  for  this  extraordinary 
account,  he  gently  took  hold  of  his  arm,  and  said  with  deep 
emotion,  '  Oh,  colonel,  colonel,  with  the  death  of  Napoleon 
my  last  hope  is  gone. ' 

"  Some  time  afterward  he  went  with  two  of  my  brothers 
to  Columbia.  While  there  a  general  military  review  took 
place.  Mr.  Ney  made  his  appearance  on  the  field  mounted. 
So  splendid  was  his  horsemanship,  and  so  magnificent  his 
bearing  every  way,  that  he  attracted  universal  attention. 
There  were  several  foreigners  in  Columbia  at  the  time,  and 
they  declared  in  the  most  positive  manner  that  this  man  was 
Marshal  Ney.     They  said  they  had  seen  Marshal  Ney  many 

*  "  From  the  time  of  that  unhappy  proclamation  life  was  a  burden  to 
me.  I  wished  for  nothing  but  death.  A  hundred  times  I  was  on  the 
point  of  blowing  out  my  brains." — Marshal  Key's  "  Histoire  complete  da 
proces  du  Mar6chal  Nev. "— Dumoulin.  . 


WAS  MARSHAL  XEY  EXECUTED  ?  137 

a  time  in  Europe,  and  that  they  could  not  be  mistaken. 
When  Mr,  Ney  heard  this  he  rode  immediately  off  the  field, 
went  to  his  hotel,  and  stayed  in  his  room  during  the  remainder 
of  the  day.  That  night  he  told  the  boys  that  they  must  start 
home  very  early  the  next  morning.  The  boys  were  aston- 
ished, as  they  expected  to  remain  two  or  three  days  longer, 
and  begged  Mr.  Key  earnestly  to  change  his  mind.  '  No, 
no,'  said  he,  without  offering  any  explanation,  '  we  must  go.' 
They  left  at  daybreak  the  next  morning.  The  boys  (Benja- 
min and  Frank  Rogers)  were  twin  brothers,  and  about  eigh- 
teen years  old. 

"  Mr.  Ney  was  a  perfect  master  of  fence.  No  one  in  this 
country  could  equal  him,  especially  with  the  broadsword. 
One  day  he  entered  my  room,  and  picking  up  my  sword, 
which  was  lying  on  the  table,  surveyed  it  a  moment  and 
said,  '  Why,  John,  this  is  only  a  baby  to  the  sword  which 
I  carried  in  battle.  I  could  cut  off  a  man's  head  at  a  single 
blow,  and  my  horse  was  trained  to  ride  to  the  cannon's 
mouth.'  He  had  a  long  and  deep  scar  on  the  left  side  of  his 
head,  which  he  told  me,  I  think,  he  received  in  battle.  He 
complained  greatly  at  times  of  a  wound  in  the  thigh.  He 
had  a  remarkably  good  set  of  teeth.  I  have  seen  him  crack 
the  hardest  hickory  nuts  with  his  teeth  and  suffer  no  injury 
from  it. 

"  He  drank  wine,  and  sometimes,  though  not  often,  to  ex- 
cess. That  was  his  only  fault.  He  was  very  methodical  in 
his  habits,  and  retiring  in  his  disposition.  He  avoided  com- 
pany for  the  most  part,  but  was  kind  and  obliging  to  his 
friends.  My  father  was  very  hospitable,  and  entertained  a 
great  deal  of  company.  On  one  occasion,  when  he  had  as 
his  guests  some  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  State, 
the  conversation  turned  in  the  course  of  the  evening  upon 
military  subjects.  The  discussion  waxed  warm,  every  one 
held  to  his  opinion,  and  finally  my  father  appealed  to  Mr. 
Ney,  who  had  been  an  attentive  hstener,  to  give  his  opinion 
upon  the  subject.  Mr.  Ney  gave  his  views  in  the  simplest, 
clearest,  and  most  forcible  manner,  entering  fully  into  the 
details  of  the  question,  and  explaining  them  to  the  satisfaction 


138         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

of  every  one  present.  When  lie  concluded  there  was  a  pro- 
found silence.  Every  one  looked  at  Mr.  Ney  in  astonishment. 
In  a  little  while  Mr.  Ney  rose  and  went  to  his  room.  One 
of  the  gentlemen  turned  to  my  father  and  said,  '  Colonel 
Rogers,  your  friend,  Mr.  Ney,  must  be  Marshal  !Ney.  True, 
Marshal  Ney  was  shot,  but  he  must  have  risen  from  the  dead. 
No  one  but  Marshal  Ney  could  have  talked  like  that.' 

"  During  the  exciting  tariff  discussion,  Mr.  Ney  said  to  me 
one  day,  '  O  John,  the  tariff  won't  hurt  you  ;  it's  the  hlack 
spot '  — alluding  to  the  negro — '  that  is  going  to  ruin  you. '  He 
had  a  way  of  going  straight  to  the  heart  of  any  question, 
stripping  it  of  superfluities,  and  laying  it  bare  before  you. 
He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  character,  and  though  a  little 
rough  and  blunt  in  his  manners  and  ways,  was  very  tender- 
hearted and  charitable,  and  entirely  above  everything  that  was 
dishonest,  mean,  or  little.  As  a  teacher  he  was  surpassed  by 
none  and  equalled  by  few.  There  was  something  about  the 
man  that  drew  all  hearts  to  him.  My  father  was  devotedly 
attached  to  him,  and  his  students  fairly  idolized  him.  He 
was  certainly  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  men  that  I  have 
ever  known." 

Charles  A.  Poellnitz,  Rembert,  Marengo  County,  Ala. 
(1887)  :  "I  knew  P.  S.  Ney  well.  I  was  a  pupil  of  his  when 
iie  taught  at  Brownsville,  S.  C,  from  the  fall  of  1819  to  1821 
or  1822.  He  was,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  best  teachers 
that  ever  lived.  I  laid  the  foundation  under  him  for  all  I 
know.  He  taught  Latin  and  Greek  in  addition  to  the  ordi- 
nary English  branches.  He  sometimes  delivered  lectures.  If 
not  an  eloquent  orator,  he  was  at  all  times  a  forcible  and  im- 
pressive speaker.  He  had  a  very  distinct  Scotch-Irish  brogue. 
He  was  a  very  large,  well-built,  fine-looking  man.  His  head 
was  large  and  round  and  bald,  complexion  fair,  eyes  gray, 
teeth  good.  At  the  time  of  Napoleon's  death,  in  1821,  he 
burned  up  valuable  papers,  relics  of  royalty  and  high  military 
position,  badges  of  honor,  etc.  The  general  belief  then  was 
that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  I  remember  it  well.  It  was  said 
that  the  guns  of  the  soldiers  detailed  to  shoot  him  were 
loaded  with  blank  cartridges.     He   tried  to   cut  his   throat 


WAS  MARSHAL  2TEY  EXECUTED  ?  139 

when  lISTapoleon  died.  My  father  sent  for  Dr.  Nicholson, 
who  dressed  the  wounds.  Mr.  Ney  sometimes  drank  to  ex- 
cess, but  he  never  became  intemperate  until  after  Napoleon's 
death.  He  was  a  good  marksman  ;  taught  me  how  to  shoot 
a  rifle.  In  the  school-room  he  paid  much  attention  to  the 
derivation  of  words  from  Latin  and  Greek.  He  was  roue-h, 
sometimes  severe,  but  his  heart  was  good,  and  he  was  beloved 
and  honored  by  every  one. ' ' 

Mrs.  Clement,  Mocksville,  N.  C.  (188S)  :  ''  Peter  S.  Ney 
taught  school  in  Mocksville  in  1822  or  1823.  I  cannot  re- 
member the  exact  year  when  he  began  to  teach.  He  taught 
a  few  years  and  then  went,  I  think,  to  Iredell  County.  I 
was  his  pupil  for  some  time — I  think  in  1823.  I  was  quite 
young,  and  do  not  remember  much  about  him,  except  that 
he  was  a  very  large,  bald-headed  man,  with  sharp  eyes,  bushy 
eyebrows,  and  a  florid  complexion.  His  pupils  were  some- 
what afraid  of  him,  but  they  all  loved  him." 

Burgess  Gaither,  Farmington,  Davie  County,  N.  C.  (1883) : 
"  Peter  S.  Ney  taught  school  on  one  of  my  father's  planta- 
tions in  1832.  I  was  his  pupil  at  that  time,  and  became  very 
much  attached  to  him.  I  was  his  pupil  again  in  1834-35, 
when  he  taught  south  of  Mocksville.  I  will  answer  your 
questions  in  regular  order  : 

"1.  I  do  not  know  when  Peter  S.  Ney  came  to  Mocks- 
ville. I  suppose,  from  what  I  have  heard,  somewhere  about 
1820.  A  gentleman  in  whose  word  I  can  place  the  fullest 
confidence  relates  the  following  incident  :  '  One  day  in  1820 
(it  may  have  been  later),  during  a  heated  political  campaign, 
a  party  of  men  met  in  Mocksville  (then  consisting  of  but  a 
few  houses)  to  drink  whiskey  and  to  talk  politics.  One  of  the 
men  was  Dr.  Schools,  an  educated  gentleman,  who  had  some 
years  before  come  from  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Mocksville. 
Words  ran  high,  and  at  length  one  of  the  crowd  used  lan- 
guage which  Dr.  Schools  deemed  personally  insulting.  He 
demanded  an  apology.  His  oi^ponent  refused  to  make  any. 
Thereupon  the  doctor  drew  his  dagger,  seized  his  adversary 
by  the  collar,  and  swore  he  must  retract  or  he  would  thrust 
him  through.     No  one  would  interfere,  as  most  of  the  crowd. 


140         WAS  MAESHAL  KEY  EXECUTED  ? 

were  the  doctor's  friends.  Just  at  that  moment  a  stranger 
stepped  np,  and  taking  hold  of  the  doctor's  arm,  remarked, 
''  What  !  kill  a  man  unarmed,  with  no  chance  to  defend  him- 
seK  ?' '  Dr.  Schools  turned  quickly  around,  and  looked  the 
stranger  full  in  the  face.  lie  immediately  dropped  his  arm, 
and  put  his  dagger  in  his  pocket.  The  stranger  was  at  once 
the  hero  of  the  hour.  Dr.  Schools  shook  him  warmly  by  the 
hand,  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  Peter  S.  Ney  (for  he  was 
the  stranger)  had  no  warmer,  truer  friend  than  this  gallant, 
open-hearted  Irishman.  Mr.  Ney  needed  no  formal  intro- 
duction to  that  crowd.  He  told  them  his  name,  and  that  he 
was  a  French  refugee  looking  for  a  school.  That  was  just 
what  the  people  wanted.  They  gathered  around  him,  and 
begged  him  to  remain  with  them  and  teach  their  children. 
He  did  so.  He  taught  in  this  county  and  in  the  adjoining 
counties  for  several  years,  acquiring  a  reputation  as  a  teacher 
which,  1  think,  has  never  been  equalled,  certainly  never 
surpassed  in  the  entire  State.' 

"2.  He  was.  a  fine  scholar.  Those  who  were  capable  of 
judging  say  he  could  speak  with  ease  and  fluency  the  French, 
Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  languages.  He  was  a  splendid 
mathematician.  He  seemed  never  to  grow  weary  of  solving 
hard  and  intricate  problems.  His  mind  was  strong  and  vigor- 
ous, and  seemed  to  be  capable  of  grasping  any  subject. 

"  3.  Mr.  Ney  was  a  large,  heavy-built  man,  but  not  cor- 
pulent, with  a  round  body  and  an  erect  figure.  He  would 
weigh,  I  suppose,  over  two  hundred  pounds.  He  had  power- 
ful muscles,  and  was  remarkably  quick  and  active  for  a  man 
of  his  age.  His  person  appeared  to  be  uniformly  straight 
from  his  hips  up.  He  had  a  robust  constitution,  and  could 
stand  any  amount  of  exposure.  He  was  little  affected  either 
by  heat  or  cold.  It  was  a  rare  thing  to  see  him  near  the  fire, 
even  in  the  coldest  weather.  He  was  about  five  feet  ten  and 
one  half  or  eleven  inches  high,  and  very  graceful,  though 
simple  and  unaffected  in  all  his  movements.  His  head  was 
large,  round,  and  well  shaped.  It  was  nearly  bald.  There 
was  a  little  hair  on  the  back  and  sides  of  his  head.  His  fore- 
head was  broad  and  full  ;  his  eyes  were  of  a  light  blue  color, 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  141 

keen  and  full  of  intelligence,  and  at  times  very  fiery  and 
piercing  ;  Lis  nose  was  prominent,  broad  at  the  base,  and  a 
little  tipped  at  the  point  ;  mouth  of  medium  size,  with  thin 
lips  ;  chin  round,  prominent,  and  on  the  thin  order  ;  com- 
plexion fair,  and  face  dotted  from  small-pox.  He  walked 
rather  rapidly,  except  when  in  deep  thought,  and  was  quick 
and  sprightly  in  all  his  actions.  His  feet  were  of  medium 
size,  rather  thin  and  flat  ;  his  hands,  small  for  a  man  of  his 
size  and  well  shaped  ;  fingers  rather  short. 

"  4.  He  spoke  English  as  well  as  any  Englishman.  I  sup- 
pose he  was  familiar  with  the  language  when  he  came  to  this 
country,  for  he  spoke  it  when  he  first  came  to  Mocksville. 
He  spoke  French  as  if  it  were  his  mother  tongue.  I  have 
heard  him  speak  of  his  family.  He  told  me  that  he  had  a 
wife  and  children  in  France,  but  did  not  say  how  many  cliil- 
dren.  He  said  that  his  mother  had  Irish  blood  in  her  veins, 
and  from  her  he  inherited  his  impetuous  temper. 

"  5.  I  do  not  know  his  exact  age.  I  heard  him  say,  in 
1832,  that  he  was  over  sixty  years  old,  but  that  the  people  in 
France  looked  upon  him  as  a  dead  man. 

"  6.  He  had  the  highest  opinion  of  Kapoleon  Bonaparte. 
He  thought  him  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived.  If  you 
wished  to  rouse  up  the  old  man,  you  had  but  to  watch  your 
chance  and  ask  him  of  Napoleon  or  his  battles.  I  have  lis- 
tened to  him  with  inexpressible  delight  when  I  could  draw 
him  out  on  these  subjects,  but  I  was  too  young  to  remember 
or  to  comprehend  all  that  he  said.  He  told  me  about  the 
Kussian  campaign,  giving  the  names  of  j)ersons  and  places, 
the  details  of  battles  fought,  etc.  I  remember  that  he  spoke 
with  much  feeling  about  the  French  soldiers  attempting  to 
cross  a  river  on  the  ice,  but  too  many  crowding  on  it  at  once, 
the  ice  gave  way,  and  a  great  many  of  the  poor  fellows  were 
drowned  in  his  sight,  and  he  was  unable  to  help  them.*     I 

*  "  Tlieir  leader"  (Ney  at  the  passage  of  the  Dnieper)  "  at  length  deter- 
mined to  attempt  the  passage  of  several  wagons  loaded  with  these  poor 
creatures"  (the  sick,  wounded,  etc.),  "  but  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  the 
ice  sank  down  and  separated.  Then  were  heard  proceeding  from  the 
gulf  first  cries  of  anguish,  long  and  piercing,  then    stifled  and  feeble 


IttS  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

have  heard  him  speak  of  the  Junior  Reserves  when  called 
out  (I  suppose),  in  the  campaign  of  1813,  how  they  would 
dread  to  go  into  the  heat  of  the  action,  how  sorry  he  would 
be  for  them,  how  after  a  few  rounds  he  would  send  them  to 
the  rear,  and  how  after  a  few  trials  they  would  become  sturdy 
and  fight  like  veterans.*  He  often  alluded  to  Waterloo,  and 
sometimes  to  Elba  and  St.  Helena,  but  the  mention  of  these 
places  always  appeared  sadly  to  trouble  him.  He  sometimes 
spoke  of  Wellington.  He  said  that  at  Waterloo  Wellington 
was  so  hard  pressed  that  he  looked  at  his  watch,  and 
murmured,  '  Oh,  that  night  or  Bliicher  would  come  ! '  To 
show  how  great  events  oftentimes  spring  from  small  causes, 
he  said  that  Bliicher' s  horse  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Ligny, 
that  Bliicher  was  so  badly  hurt  by  the  fall  he  could  not  get 
up,  and  that  the  French  troops  marched  over  him  and  then 
back  again  without  discovering  who  it  was  ;  but  had  they  dis- 
covered him,  the  Prussians  would  not  have  reached  Waterloo, 
and  that  before  night  Napoleon  would  have  annihilated  Wel- 
lington's army,  and  perhaps  have  changed  the  fate  of  Europe. 
It  always  pained  him  deeply  to  say  anything  about  the  reverses 
of  Napoleon.  He  seldom  referred  to  Louis  XVIII,  When 
he  did,  it  was  with  the  utmost  contempt.     Mr.   Ney  was  a 

groans,  quickly  succeeded  by  an  awful  silence.  All  had  disappeared, 
.  .  .  The  narrators  appeared  to  shudder  again  at  the  recollection  of  the 
horrible  sight.  .  .  .  Ney  was  looking  steadfastly  at  the  abyss  with  au  air 
of  consternation"  etc. — "  Napoleon's  Expedition  to  Russia,"  Segur. 

*  "  I  went  to  pay  my  respects  to  Marshal  Ney,  who,  having  received  a 
severe  contusion  in  the  leg"  (at  the  battle  of  Lutzen),  "  had  not  been  able 
to  march  with  his  corps.  He  was  so  good  as  to  explain  to  me  his  mauo3u- 
vres  and  his  reiterated  attacks,  which  had  decided  the  success  of  the  daj'. 
He  said,  '  I  had  only  battalions  of  conscripts,  and  I  have  reason  to  con- 
gratulate myself  on  it ;  I  doubt  whether  I  could  have  done  the  same  thing 
with  the  old  grenadiers  of  the  Guard.  I  had  before  me  the  best  of  the 
enemy's  troops,  the  whole  of  the  Prussian  Guards  ;  our  bravest  grenadiers, 
after  having  twice  failed,  would  perhaps  not  have  carried  the  village,  but 
I  led  these  brave  children ^»e  times  to  the  charge,  and  their  docility,  per- 
haps, too,  their  inexperience,  served  me  better  than  veteran  courage  ;  the 
French  infantry  is  never  too  young." — Lieutenant-General  Count  Dumas' 
"  Memoirs  of  the  Revolution,  the  Empire,  and  the  Restoration." 

"These  children  are  heroes;  I  shall  accomplish  with  them  whatever 
you  please."— Ney  to  Napoleon. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  143 

splendid  swordsman.  I  have  heard  him  speak  of  fencing 
contests  between  him  and  Murat.  He  said  they  never  could 
decide  which  was  the  better  fencer.  Sometimes  in  presence  of 
Napoleon  they  would  be  trying  their  skill,  and,  both  being 
high-tempered  and  impetuous,  they  would  get  their  mettle 
up  and  become  too  much  excited,  when  Napoleon  would 
say,  '  Come,  come,  that  will  do,'  and  put  a  stop  to  the  fun.* 
That  he  was  firmly  attached  to  Napoleon  you  may  judge 
from  the  fact  that  he  wore  the  same  style  of  coat  that  Napo- 
leon used  to  wear.  It  was  long,  almost  touching  his  ankles, 
generally  of  bluish-black  broadcloath,  and  without  lapels. 

"7.  He  had  a  notable  wound  on  the  left  side  of  his  head. 
It  was  a  sabre  cut  directly  above  the  left  eye,  three  or  four 
inches  long  and  about  two  and  one  half  inches  broad.  It 
appeared  to  have  been  produced  by  a  glancing  stroke  wliich 
cut  up  the  scalp,  but  did  not  entirely  separate  it  from  the 
bone.  The  skin  was  sewed  back,  but  rather  unevenly,  as 
every  stitch  was  distinctly  Aasible.  He  had  another  wound 
in  the  calf  of  his  leg,  produced  by  a  musket  ball.  The  ball, 
I  think,  was  still  in  his  leg,  and  pained  him  at  times,  espe- 
cially when  he  walked.  These  are  the  only  wounds  that  I 
have  any  personal  knowledge  of.  He  told  me  in  what  battle 
he  received  the  sabre  cut,  but  I  have  forgotten  the  name. 
He  said  he  was  on  horseback  at  the  time,  in  a  hand-to-hand 
encounter  ;  that  he  cut  down  a  man  from  his  horse  just  in 
front  of  him,  but  before  he  could  recover,  another  man  struck 
him  from  his  horse  ;  that  his  head  would  have  been  split  open 
but  for  one  of  his  friends  on  the  right,  who  saw  the  danger, 
and  threw  up  his  sword  to  defend  him,  but  was  too  far  off 
entirely  to  avert  the  blow.  He  turned  the  sabre,  however, 
and  caused  only  a  glancing  stroke.  He  said  it  was  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  and  that  he  knew  nothing  for  some  time 
afterward. 

"8.  He  was  anxious  to  get  back  to  France— to  his  family 
and  home  and  country.     That  seemed  to  be  the  absorbing 

*  Ney  and  Murat  were  the  best  fencers  in  Europe,  and  it  is  quite  prob- 
able that  they  engaged  in  tlie  friendly  contests  of  which  P.  S.  Ney  speaks 
in  the  presence  of  their  emperor. 


144         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

object  of  Lis  life.  One  Monday  morning  in  tlie  year  1832 
Mr.  Ney  came  to  school  feeling  somewhat  unwell  from  the 
effects  of  a  little  spree  on  the  Saturday  previous.  He  told 
his  pupils  there  would  be  no  school  that  day,  but  to  come 
back  the  next  day,  Tuesday.  '  If,  however, '  said  he,  '  any 
of  you  choose  to  remain,  I  will  instruct  you,  but  there  will 
be  no  regular  school. '  I  stayed  and  went  on  with  my  studies, 
as  usual.  Some  time  in  the  day  Mr.  Key  told  me  that  he 
was  suffering  a  good  deal,  and  asked  me  to  get  him  some 
brandy  from  my  father's  house,  which  was  not  far  off.  I 
did  so.  He  drank  it  off,  and  said  it  gave  him  great  relief. 
He  then  remarked  that  I  had  always  been  very  kind  to  him, 
and  he  would  be  glad  to  reward  me  when  in  a  position  to  do 
so.  '  People  here,'  said  he,  '  call  me  old  Ney,  but  they  do 
not  know  who  I  am.  Young  ^Napoleon  will  soon  be  of  age, 
and  then  the  French  people  will  put  him  on  the  throne,  and 
I  shall  go  back  to  France,  and  have  rank  and  position  and 
influence.  I  am  not  what  I  seem  to  be.  I  am  Marshal  Key, 
of  France.'  He  then  told  me  how  he  escaped.  He  said  he 
was  tried  and  condemned  to  be  shot,  and  was  apparently  shot, 
and  that  his  countrymen  thought  he  was  a  dead  man.  '  Louis 
XYlIl.,'  said  he,  'was  full  of  revenge.  He  ordered  that' 
some  of  my  old  soldiers,  whom  I  had  often  led  into  battle, 
should  be  my  executioners.  The  thing  was  so  revolting  to 
Frenchmen  that  a  plan  was  formed  for  my  escape.  The 
oflScer  appointed  to  superintend  my  execution  told  one  of  my 
friends  to  apply  to  the  king  for  my  body  for  interment.  He 
did  so,  and  the  necessary  permission  was  granted.  I  was 
told  to  give  the  command  j^/'^?,  and  to  fall  as  1  gave  it.  I  did 
so.  The  soldiers,  who  had  previously  been  instructed,  fired 
almost  instantly,  the  balls  passing  over  my  head  and  striking 
the  planks  or  wall  behind.  I  was  pronounced  dead,  hastily 
taken  up,  put  into  a  carriage,  and  driven  off  to  a  neighboring 
hospital.  That  night  I  was  disguised  and  left  for  America.' 
If  he  gave  the  names  of  any  persons  concerned  in  the  plot, 
I  do  not  recollect  them,  but  I  think  he  gave  no  names.  In 
October,  1832,  while  sitting  calmly  at  his  desk  in  the  school- 
room, one  of  the  pupils  brought  him  his  papers.     In  a  few 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  145 

minutes  lie  threw  down  the  paper  which  he  had  been  reading, 
and  began  walking  the  floor  in  great  excitement.  As  soon  as 
I  got  to  the  door  I  saw  that  he  was  greatly  troubled,  and  I 
felt  very  sorry  for  him.  He  turned  to  me,  his  eyes  wildly 
glaring,  the  deepest  agony  depicted  in  his  looks,  his  powerful 
frame  convulsed  with  emotion.  He  pointed  to  a  pair  of  and- 
irons in  the  fireplace,  and  said  to  me,  '  Little  fellow,  can  you 
eat  those  dogirons  f  '  I  said  that  1  could  not.  '  Well,  then,' 
he  replied,  '  I  have  a  harder  task  than  that.  Young  Napo- 
leon is  dead,  and  with  him  dies  all  hope  of  ever  going  back 
to  France,  of  again  seeing  wife  and  children  and  home  and 
friends.'  He  then  walked  the  floor,  and  in  the  most  pathetic 
terms  bewailed  his  unhaj^py  lot.  1  never  saw  such  grief. 
All  of  his  scholars  were  deeply  affected,  for  they  almost  wor- 
shipped the  man.  In  a  few  minutes  he  dismissed  his  school, 
and  went  to  Mr.  Thomas  Foster's,  where  he  was  boardino-. 
The  next  morning,  being  anxious  to  hear  from  him,  1  went 
up  to  Mr.  Foster's  and  saw  Wiley  Ellis,  a  student  who  boarded 
with  Mr.  Foster,  and  he  told  me  that  Mr.  Ney  took  a  large 
roll  of  manuscript  from  his  trunk  and  burnt  it,  and  that  he 
had  been  so  wild  and  restless  that  Mr.  Foster  had  had  him 
watched  all  night,  fearing  he  might  commit  suicide.  I  had 
seen  the  manuscript  to  which  Wiley  Ellis  alluded.  Mr.  Ney 
showed  it  to  me  one  day,  and  said  that  it  contained  an  ac- 
count of  his  life,  and  that  if  he  should  die  before  he  got  back 
to  France,  his  full  history  would  be  known.  There  was  quite 
a  large  quantity  of  the  manuscript,  and  Mr.  JSTey  always  kept 
it  locked  up  in  his  trunk.  It  was  several  days  before  Mr. 
Key's  friends  could  induce  him  to  resume  his  school.  From 
that  time  on  he  was  a  changed  man.  He  never  spoke  again 
so  far  as  1  know,  of  going  back  to  France. 

"  9.  Mr.  Key  was  entirely  free  from  hobbies  or  idiosyn- 
crasies  of  any  kind.  His  mind  was  clear  on  all  subjects,  and 
he  was  thoroughly  practical  in  every  thing  that  he  did.  He 
was  plain  in  his  ways,  outspoken  on  all  subjects,  sometimes 
rough  and  apparently  severe,  but  always  just  and  generous 
and  merciful.  If  he  wounded  or  hurt  anybody  by  word  or 
deed,  he  was  quick  to  apologize,  and  to  repair,  to  the  fullest 


146  WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED? 

extent,  any  wrong  wliicli  he  may  have  committed.  As  a 
teacher  he  seemed  to  know  exactly  what  each  pupil  could 
accomplish  ;  that  much  he  required,  and  nothing  more.  If  a 
pupil  was  obedient  and  studious,  he  was  gentle  and  indulgent ; 
but  if  disobedient  and  idle,  he  was  very  strict  and  rigid,  I 
have  seen  grown-up  young  men,  who  had  been  spoilt  at  home, 
and  who  openly  declared  they  intended  to  do  as  they  pleased 
in  school,  cower  before  him  in  perfect  submission  to  his  will. 
"  10.  Mr.  l!^ey's  character  as  a  man  and  citizen  was  above 
all  reproach.  He  was  quiet,  orderly,  industrious,  public-spir- 
ited, and  honorable  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  Nothing  could 
be  said  against  the  man  except  his  habit  of  drinking  too  much 
at  certain  times  ;  but  even  then  he  was  guilty  of  no  disorder, 
or  rude  and  improper  conduct  of  any  kind.  You  never  saw 
him  in  a  grog-shop  or  drinking-saloon,  or  mixing  in  with  a 
drinking  crowd.  He  was  talkative  and  communicative  when 
drinking,  but  careful  to  say  nothing  offensive  or  to  give 
trouble  to  any  one  about  the  house.  He  was  not  only  kind- 
hearted,  but  benevolent.  He  gave  a  great  many  poor  orphan 
children  their  tuition  free.  He  was  polite  and  gentlemanly 
in  his  manners,  but  quick  to  resent  an  insult.  In  1835  he 
was  teaching  a  few  miles  south  of  Mocksville,  and  boarding 
with  a  gentleman  whose  sons  were  Mr.  Ney's  pupils.  At 
one  time  two  clergymen  were  on  a  visit  to  this  gentleman. 
When  dinner  came  Mr.  Ney,  being  a  little  tipsy,  made  some 
witty  but  inoffensive  remark  to  one  of  the  ministers.  Mr. 
fearing  Mr.  Ney  might  be  tempted  to  divert  the  conver- 
sation into  unclerical  channels,  said  to  him  rather  pleasantly, 
^  Mr.  ISTey,  you  are  at  my  table.'  Mr.  JSTey  instantly  replied, 
'  Do  you  suppose  I  do  not  know  what  is  due  a  gentleman  ?  ' 
quit  the  table  and  never  returned.  I  never  saw  him  drunk 
enough  to  stagger,  though  I  have  heard  that  he  was  occa- 
sionally in  that  condition.  It  has  been  said  that  he  used  pro- 
fane language  when  he  heard  of  the  death  of  young  Napo- 
leon. I  do  not  think  he  did.  He  was  too  refined  and  well- 
bred  to  use  profane  language  in  presence  of  his  pupils,  I 
certainly  never  heard  him  do  so,  though  in  this  case  he  may 
have  been  carried  away  by  his  feelings.     The  only  expression 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  147 

like  an  oath  that  I  ever  heard  him  use  was  '  By  Jove  !  '  He 
was  remarkably  modest  and  unobtrusive  in  his  general  deport- 
ment. There  was  no  bluster  or  brag  or  affectation  about  him. 
lie  lived  entirely  in  the  country,  always  boarding  with  the 
best  people,  and  seldom  went  to  town.  He  avoided  large 
crowds  and  public  places,  and  spent  much  of  his  time  in  read- 
ing and  writing.  He  wrote  for  several  newspapers.  As  a 
rule,  he  would  not  talk  about  himself,  even  to  his  intimate 
friends.  If  you  interrogated  him  about  his  history,  you 
would  be  almost  sure  to  get  a  rebuff.  1  think  he  left  no  like- 
ness of  himself.  If  he  had  pictures  of  Napoleon  and  Jose- 
phine, I  never  saw  them.  I  do  not  think  he  ever  wrote  let- 
ters to  France.  I  used  to  take  letters  for  him  to  the  post- 
office,  but  I  do  not  remember  that  he  ever  sent  any  to  or 
received  any  from  France  or  any  other  portion  of  Europe. 
He  died  beloved  and  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him.  Peace 
to  his  ashes." 

Colonel  Thomas  F.  Houston,  Houstonia,  Mo.,  formerly  of  Ire- 
dell County,  N.  C.  (1877)  :  "  About  1826  (fifty-one  years  ago) 
my  uncle.  Colonel  Francis  Young,  of  Iredell  County,  IST.  C., 
engaged  P.  S.  Ney  to  teach  the  languages  to  his  sons  at  Oak  Hill 
Academy.  I  was  too  young  at  that  time  to  attend  school,  but 
in  January,  1830,  I  became  his  pupil,  and  continued  so  most 
of  the  time  until  1838.  Mr.  Ney  was  about  five  feet  eleven 
inches  high,  of  fine  physique  and  muscular  power,  and  would 
weigh  about  two  hundred  pounds.  His  head  was  large — so 
large,  in  fact,  that  it  was  necessary  to  send  away  to  have  his 
hats  made.  His  head  was  bald,  save  at  the  sides  and  back, 
and  there  was  but  a  slight  fringe  of  hair  there,  though  it 
grew  long  and  was  combed  over  the  top  of  his  head  partially 
to  hide  his  baldness.  On  one  side  of  his  head — the  left,  I 
think — there  was  a  scar  about  two  and  one  half  inches  in 
length,  which  he  told  me  was  a  sabre  cut  received  in  battle. 
It  was  healed,  but  there  was  an  indenture  in  which  a  quill 
could  have  been  placed.  He  told  me,  I  think,  that  he  had 
been  'trepanned.'  On  one  occasion  he  opened  his  shirt- 
bosom  and  showed  me  scars  upon  his  body,  inflicted  at  tlie 
same  time  that  he  received  the  wound  described  above,  by 


148         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

the  shoes  of  the  cavalry  horses  charging  over  him.  While 
I  was  his  pupil  he  boarded  a  great  part  of  the  time  with  my 
father  (Placebo  Houston),  and  a  strong  attachment  was  formed 
between  us,  at  least  on  my  part.  During  the  life  of  Napo- 
leon's son — the  Duke  of  Reichstadt — he  frequently  told  me 
of  his  intention  to  return  to  France,  and  asked  me  to  go  with 
him.  Many  times  he  reverted  to  the  subject,  always  asking 
me  if  I  would  accompany  him.  Assuring  him  that  I  would, 
he  said,  '  I'll  make  a  man  of  you.'  I  was  not  a  student  of  his 
at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Napoleon's  son  (1832),  but  never 
after  that  event,  to  my  knowledge,  though  his  pupil  for  sev- 
eral years  after,  did  he  speak  of  returning  to  France.  Young 
Napoleon's  death  seemed  to  have  blasted  all  his  hopes.  When 
he  heard  this  sad  news  he  trembled,  turned  very  pale,  dis- 
missed his  school  for  several  days,  destroyed  many  of  his 
private  papers,  and  his  grief  was  so  great  that  fears  were 
entertained  that  his  reason  might  be  dethroned,  and  that  he 
might  commit  suicide. 

"  Mr.  Ney  was  an  expert  stenographer,  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  had  a  large  volume  of  manuscript  (in  short-hand) 
which  I  have  frequently  seen,  and  which  contained  an  ac- 
count of  his  life.  Mr.  Lucius  Q.  C.  Butler,  of  Davie  County, 
N.  C,  told  me  in  1875  that  Ney,  a  few  years  before  his 
death,  pointing  to  the  desk  which  contained  the  document, 
said  to  him,  '  I  expect  to  die  in  this  section  of  the  country. 
There  is  something  in  that  desk  which  will  astonish  the  world. 
Get  it  and  translate  it,  or  have  it  translated.' 

"Soon  after  Ney's  death  I  was  written  to  by  General 
Young,  of  Charlotte,  N.  C,  asking  me  to  take  the  volume 
and  translate  it.  Thinking  it  would  be  a  tedious  and  trouble- 
some task,  and  that  some  other  pupil  in  North  Carolina  would 
perform  that  service,  I  declined  to  do  so,  which  I  now  very 
much  regret.  The  manuscript  was  subsequently  obtained 
from  Mr.  Osborne  G.  Foard,  Ney's  administrator,  by  Pliny 
Miles,  of  New  York.*  Mr.  Miles  promised  that  he  would 
have  the  document  translated,  and  would  return  it  with  the 

*  At  that  time  Mr.  L.  Q.  C.  Butler  had  not  heard  of  Ney's  death. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  149 

translation  to  Mr.  Foard  ;  but  notliing  more  was  ever  heard 
of  it.  Mr.  Xej  was  a  good  Latin  and  Greek  scholar,  and  a 
splendid  mathematician.  Pie  was  the  best  of  teachers,  and 
gave  universal  satisfaction.  He  had  a  rare  faculty  for  impart- 
ing instruction.  He  would  at  once  seize  the  vital  points  of  a 
question,  and  make  it  plain  to  the  dullest  understanding.  He 
taught  more  for  the  pleasure  and  employment  which  it 
afforded  him  than  for  the  profit,  as  he  asked  only  his  board 
and  $200  per  annum.  He  preserved  the  strictest  order  and 
discipline  in  his  school.  His  scholars  feared  him,  but  loved 
him.  Indeed,  no  one  could  help  loving  him.  Mr.  !Ney  was 
a  man  of  martial  appearance,  the  finest  specimen  of  manhood 
I  ever  saw.  He  showed  his  military  training  in  his  step  and 
bearing.  His  countenance  was  open  and  noble.  His  eyes 
were  of  a  bluish-gray  color,  and  in  repose  they  had  an  exceed- 
ingly gentle  and  even  tender  expression  ;  but  when  he  was 
thoroughly  aroused  upon  any  subject,  they  were  indescribably 
keen  and  piercing.  He  seemed  to  look  down  into  the  inmost 
depths  of  your  soul.  He  ruled  men — all  classes  of  people — 
as  Marshal  Ney  is  known  to  have  ruled  his  soldiers.  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  avow  my  belief  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  He 
was  always  reticent  when  with  strangers,  and  rarely  spoke  of 
himself  and  his  connection  with  the  French  Army,  even  to 
his  intimate  friends,  unless  the  hinges  of  his  tongue  were 
loosened  by  an  extra  glass  of  wine  or  brandy,  and  his  charac- 
teristic reserve  thrown  off.  Then  he  never  manifested  any 
boastful  disposition,  but  sometimes  spoke  of  his  connection 
with  the  army  and  the  part  he  had  borne  in  its  campaigns. 
"  On  one  occasion  Ney,  while  intoxicated,  lay  down  in  the 
snow  near  my  father's  house.  General  John  A.  Young,  of 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  a  cousin  of  mine  and  a  pupil  of  Ney,  then 
a  boy,  saw  him  and  told  my  father.  Father  sent  several  negro 
men  with  a  horse  to  bring  Ney  to  the  house.  I  accompanied 
the  negroes,  and  found  him  asleep.  Repeated  efforts  to 
arouse  him  proving  ineffectual,  I  concluded  to  have  him 
placed  on  the  horse  and  taken  to  the  house.  One  of  the 
negroes  mounted  the  horse,  when  the  others  lifted  Ney  and 
placed  him  across  the  horse's  shoulders.     In  that  act  the  old 


150         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

man  was  awakened,  and  liis  first  words  were,  '  What  !  put 
the  Duke  of  Elchingen  on  a  horse  like  a  sack  !  Let  me 
down.'  He  struck  one  of  the  negroes,  and  thej  let  him 
down.  He  walked  with  military  tread  a  few  steps  to  the 
fence,  and  placing  his  elbows  thereon,  wept  at  the  indignity 
which  had  been  offered  him.  One  of  the  negroes,  addressing 
Iiim,  said,  '  Mr.  I^ey,  can  you  ride  ? '  '  Yes,  1  could  ride  into 
battle.'  He  mounted  the  horse  and  rode  to  the  house  with- 
out reeling,  sitting  erect  and  dignified  in  the  saddle.  I  told 
father  what  Ney  had  said,  and  he  told  me  that  Marshal  Ney 
was  Duke  of  Elchingen,  whicli  was  my  first  information  upon 
the  subject,  as  I  did  not  understand  Joey's  meaning.  This 
affair  was  never  mentioned  to  or  by  Ney  afterward.  Mr. 
Key  liked  his  glass,  but  he  rarely  drank  to  excess.  He  said 
that  trouble  made  him  drink.  He  once  related  to  me,  when 
we  were  alone  in  his  room,  the  circumstances  of  his  escape. 
'  Much  of  history, '  said  he,  '  is  false.  History  says  that  Mar- 
shal Key  was  executed,  but  it  is  not  true.  I  was  sentenced 
to  be  executed,  and  was  marched  out  for  that  purpose,  but 
the  soldiers  detailed  to  do  the  work  were  veterans,  and  ' — 1 
think  he  said — '  belonged  to  my  old  command.  As  1  walked 
by  the  file  of  soldiers  I  whispered,  "  Aim  high  !"  My  old 
command  in  war  had  always  been,  "  Aim  low — at  the  heart  !" 
As  I  took  my  position  in  front  of  the  file,  refusing  to  have 
my  eyes  bandaged,  I  raised  my  hand  and  gave  the  command, 
Fi7'e  I  They  fired.  I  was  pronounced  dead,  and  my  body 
was  delivered  to  my  friends  for  interment.  I  was  secretly 
conveyed  to  Bordeaux,  from  which  place  I  sailed  to  America, 
landing  in  Charleston,  S.  C — I  think  he  said — 'January 
29th,  1816.' 

"  Mr,  Key  also  gave  me  an  account  of  his  famous  retreat 
from  Moscow,  amid  the  snows  and  across  the  rivers  upon  ice  ; 
how  the  ice  bridge  gave  way  under  his  army  and  drowned 
many  of  them  ;  how  they  perished  from  hunger  and  cold  ;  how 
the  Cossacks  hung  upon  his  rear  and  flanks,  cutting  off  his 
men,  and  slaughtering  those  who  from  cold  and  exhaustion 
straggled,  and  lay  down  in  the  snow  to  die  ;  how  he  marched 
on  foot  with  his  men,  and  finally  brought  up  the  rear-guard 
i 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  151 

of  a  few  hundred  soldiers  ;  and  how  ]S<apoleon  embraced  him 
and  called  him  the  '  bravest  of  the  brave. '  In  the  fall  of 
1874:  (if  not  mistaken  as  to  the  date)  I  read  in  the  Dayton  (O.) 
Journal  the  account  of  an  interview  between  the  Journal  re- 
porter and  an  old  French  soldier  named  Philip  Petrie,  who 
once  belonged  to  Marshal  Xey's  command.  He  stated  to 
the  reporter  that  after  the  fall  of  Napoleon  and  capture  of 
Key  he  deserted  from  the  French  Army,  and  in  December, 
1815,  shipped  as  a  seaman  on  board  a  vessel  bound  from  Bor- 
deaux, France,  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  landing  in  Charleston, 
January  29th,  1816.  He  noticed  after  sailing  a  man  whose 
appearance  struck  him  very  forcibly  as  some  one  whom  he 
ought  to  know.  He  tried  for  several  days  to  remember  who 
it  could  be.  At  last  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that  it  was  his 
old  commander,  Marshal  Ney. 

"  He  sought  the  first  opportunity  to  satisfy  himself,  and  the 
next  time  the  mysterious  personage  appeared  on  deck  Petrie 
approached  him,  and  told  him  he  thought  he  knew  him.  He 
replied,  '  Who  do  you  think  I  am  ?  '  Petrie  answered,  '  My 
old  commander,  Marshal  Ney. '  In  a  gruff  tone  he  responded, 
'  Marshal  Key  was  executed  two  weeks  ago  in  Paris  !  '  and 
turning  round  walked  directly  to  the  cabin,  and  was  not  seen 
on  deck  again  during  the  voyage,  though  they  were  thirty- 
five  days  in  reaching  Charleston.  Petrie  said  he  knew  Mar- 
shal Ney  was  not  executed,  but  escaped  to  America.  This 
corroborative  statement  was  made  by  Petrie  prior  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  question  as  to  the  identity  of  P.  S.  J^ey  with 
Marshal  Ney,  which  has  been  so  extensively  commented  upon 
by  the  public  press,  and  almost  surely  without  any  knowledge 
of  the  whereabouts  and  occupation  of  P.  S.  Key  in  the  Caro- 
linas  and  Virginia.  Petrie,  if  living,  is,  I  believe,  an  inmate 
of  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Evanston,  111.,  Detroit,  Mich.,  or 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  Ney  was  a  splendid  swordsman,  and  taught 
me  how  to  fence,  at  first  using  wooden  swords.  At  length 
we  had  an  encounter  with  two  real  swords.  One  of  these 
swords  was  my  father's,  and  the  other  belonged  to  my  uncle, 
Samuel  Houston,  who  carried  it  in  the  War  of  1812.  I  was, 
of  course,  no  match  for  Ney,  and  he  could  easily  have  cut  me 


152        WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

down  had  lie  so  desired.  I  have  his  old  Latin  grammar,  pub- 
lished in  1818,  in  which  are  inserted  a  large  number  of  Latin 
and  Greek  exercises  in  his  handwriting,  such  exercises  as  he 
used  in  instructing  his  pupils.  In  that  grammar  were  many 
of  his  autographic  signatures,  which  were  fac-similes  of  the 
signature  under  the  portrait  of  Key  in  the  history  of  '  Napo- 
leon and  his  Marshals. '  These  have  been  taken  out  by  per- 
sons to  whom  the  book  was  loaned,  or  sent  to  friends  as  sou- 
venirs. This  grammar  was  given  me  by  Ney  in  1838,  and  I 
treasure  it  as  a  memento  from  one  to  whom  I  was  deeply 
attached.  My  affection  was  not  lessened  by  a  thrashing  he 
gave  me  because  of  continued  improper  recitations  in  con- 
jugating the  moods  of  the  verb  aTuo.  Key  labored  faithfully 
with  me,  but  my  contrariness  was  so  great  that  he  detected  it. 
With  the  remark,  '  I'll  make  you  say  it  ;  you  are  perverse,' 
he  vigorously  applied  a  hickory  switch.  It  took  a  second  ap- 
plication to  conquer  me  ;  but  this  is  another  reason  why  I 
treasure  the  grammar.  1  have  a  pair  of  glasses  given  my 
mother  by  Ney,  and  which  came  into  my  possession  at  her 
death.  The  glasses  show  their  age  from  the  peculiar  style  of 
the  frame,  that  portion  of  it  containing  the  glasses  working 
on  tiny  hinges,  so  they  can  be  shut  up  or  opened  out,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  frame  on  either  side  is  made  in  two  sec- 
tions, that  they  may  be  closed  up  and  put  in  the  case.  These 
sections  are  wide,  thin,  and  flat,  sliding  in  and  out  like  a  gold 
pen  or  pencil  from  the  holder.  They  are  kept  in  the  same 
case  which  Ney  used,  but  which  is  now  partially  destroyed. 
It  is  made  of  plain,  common  pasteboard,  and  has  a  piece  of 
paper  pasted  upon  it  on  which  is  written  the  single  word, 
'  Ney. '  *  In  speaking  of  his  family,  P.  S.  Ney,  according 
to  my  recollection,  told  me  that  his  father  was  a  Frenchman 
named  Peter,  and  his  mother  was  a  Scotchwoman  of  the 
Stuart  family.  In  the  prominence  of  his  cheeks  and  the  gen- 
eral expression  of  his  face,  as  well  as  in  his  general  appear- 
ance, he  resembled  the  Scotch  more  than  the  French.  He 
spent  his  leisure  hours  chiefly  in  reading  and  writing.     He 

*  I  have  no  doubt  these  were  Marshal  Ney's  glasses,  which  he  had 
often  used  on  the  field  of  battle. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  153 

read  the  newspapers  attentively,  and  occasionally  wrote  for 
the  National  Intelligencer,  Washington  City,  and  for  the 
Carolina  Watchman,  published  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.  It  was 
his  custom  to  sit  up  very  late  at  night,  only  sleeping  from 
four  to  six  hours  in  the  twenty-four.  He  said  that  was  a 
habit  contracted  in  camp  while  in  the  army.  He  was  a  great 
admirer  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  and  always  spoke  of  him  in 
terms  of  the  highest  admiration.  It  was  evident  to  every  one 
who  knew  Mr.  Ney  that  he  was  a  man  of  genius,  and  must 
have  been  a  soldier  of  the  highest  rank.  It  was  generally 
believed  by  those  who  knew  him  best  that  he  was  Marshal 
Ney.  I  have  studied  the  subject  in  all  its  bearings  for  upward 
of  forty  years,  and  I  repeat  my  conviction,  long  since  enter- 
tained, that  he  was  the  great  marshal  of  France." 

Mrs.  Mary  C.  Dalton,*  Iloustonville,  Iredell  County,  N.  C. 
(1885)  :   "  .   .   .     Most  of  the  facts  related  in  the  testimony  of 
my  brother.  Colonel  Houston,  are  well  known  to  me,  and  I 
need  not  repeat  them.     His  description  of  the  person,  char- 
acter, habits,  etc.,  of  F.   S.  Ney  is  very  accurate.     Perhaps 
I  knew  Mr.  ISTey  as  well  as  any  person  in  this  country.     I 
had  every  opportunity  to  learn  his  real  worth,  and  I  assure 
you  that  I  never   knew  any  person  who  was  governed  by 
higher  principles,  who  possessed  more  sterling  merit  in  every 
relation  of  life.     There  was  nothing  dishonest,  low,  little,  or 
vulgar  about   him.     He  sometimes  offended  people  by  his 
abrupt  manner  and  his  plainness  of  speech  on  all  subjects,  but 
ho  never  failed  to  apologize  and  make  full  reparation  for  any 
wrong  that  he  may  have  done.     He  was  a  giant  intellectually  ; 
could  master  any  subject  that  was  brought  to  his  attention. 
On  one  occasion  Judge  Fearson  said  to  me  :    '  Nature  has 
done  much  for  Mr.  Ney  ;  he  possesses  a  very  clear  and  vigor- 
ous mind,  but  I  do  not  believe  he  is  Marshal  Ney.'     Some 
years  afterward,  when  Judge  Pearson  had  become  better  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Ney,  he  said  to  me  in  substance  :  '  I  have 
made  a  special  study  of  your  friend,  Peter  S.   Ney.     He  is 
one  of  the  strongest-minded  men  I  have  ever  met,  he  has  all 

*  A  portion  of  Mrs.  Dalton's  testimony  has  already  been  given. 


154         WA8  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

tlio  qualities  ascribed  to  the  great  marshal,  and  the  resem- 
blance is  so  striking  in  other  respects  that  in  spite  of  history 
I  cannot  doubt  that  he  is  Marshal  Ney  himself.'  I  have 
often  heard  Mr.  Ney  speak  of  his  mother — seldom  alluded  to 
his  father ;  he  seemed  to  think  that  his  mother  was  perfect. 
He  said  that  he  was  not  a  native  Frenchman  ;  pointed  out  in 
Cummings'  atlas  the  place  (Lorraine)  where  he  was  born  ;  said  he 
had  to  change  his  name  after  coming  over  here,  but  he^could 
not  give  up  the  name  of  Ney.  One  day,  about  dark,  a  stranger 
rode  up  to  our  gate  and  asked  father  if  he  could  stop  with 
him  that  night.  We  had  a  good  deal  of  company  at  the 
time,  and  every  room  was  occupied.  My  father  told  him 
that  he  was  sorry  he  could  not  accommodate  him,  but  the 
young  man  insisted,  and  said  he  was  willing  to  sleep  on  the 
floor,  and  that  his  horse  being  tired  and  comj)letely  worn  out, 
he  could  go  no  farther.  My  father  then  told  him  that  if  he 
could  suit  himself  to  circumstances  he  would  be  glad  to  have 
him  remain.  The  stranger,  a  fine-looking  man,  thanked  him 
and  went  in.  When  he  was  conducted  into  supper  he  took  a 
seat  at  the  table  opposite  Mr.  Ney,  who  was  occupying  his 
usual  seat  on  the  left  hand  of  my  father.  They  glanced  at 
each  other,  and  though  not  a  word  was  spoken,  it  was  evident 
to  all  present  that  it  was  a  glance  of  recognition.  My  mother 
fiaid  a  sign  passed  between  them.  Immediately  after  tea  Mr. 
Ney  and  the  stranger,  taking  their  hats,  left  the  house  to- 
gether, and  were  not  seen  by  the  family  any  more  that  night. 
An  old  negro  man  (Frederick)  reported  that  he  saw  them  near 
midnight  sitting  behind  a  straw  stack  in  the  field,  in  close 
conversation,  and,  although  unobserved  by  them,  could  hear 
them  distinctly,  but  could  not  understand  a  word  they  said. 
The  stranger  ordered  his  horse  very  early  the  next  morning, 
and  left.  He  gave  no  information  about  himself,  except  in 
a  general  way.  After  the  man  had  gone  Mr.  Ney  went  to 
his  room  and  remained  in  it  all  that  day,  reading  and  writ- 
ing. He  never  made  any  allusion  to  the  matter,  and  we  had 
too  much  respect  for  him  to  question  him  about  it.  The 
stranger  had  black  hair,  black  eyes,  and  a  dark  complexion. 
This  incident  happened,    I    think,    in  1834  or  1835.      Mr. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  loo 

Nej  said  he  had  been  recognized  as  Marshal  Ncy  in  South 
Carohna,  and  that  he  came  to  xsorth  Carolina  to  escape  fur- 
ther recognition.  He  went  to  Mocksville,  perhaps  in  1822, 
for  I  first  saw  him  in  1823  or  1821,  He  avoided  strangers. 
His  fear  of  an  assassin  never  left  him,  though  he  was  as  brave 
and  intrepid  as  any  one  possibly  could  be.  He  said  he  must 
protect  his  friends  in  France  who  had  aided  in  his  escape. 
He  sometimes,  not  often,  drank  to  excess.  When  lie  was  in 
trouble  on  account  of  any  bad  news  which  he  had  received, 
he  would  drink  more  freely  than  at  other  times.  When  in- 
toxicated he  would  tell  any  one  that  he  was  Marshal  N^ey,  but 
at  other  times  he  would  not  talk  on  the  subject  of  his  identity 
with  Marshal  Ney,  except  to  his  intimate  friends,  and  not 
often  to  them.  He  would  not  permit  them  to  introduce  the 
subject,  or  to  question  him  too  freely.  He  was  greatly  at- 
tached to  his  friends.  He  would  do  anything  for  them.  In 
the  home  circle  he  was  as  tender  and  thoughtful  as  a  woman. 
He  gave  us  no  trouble  or  inconvenience  of  any  kind,  even 
when  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  Sometimes  he  would  not 
get  drunk  for  an  entire  session.  He  did  a  great  deal  of  good 
in  the  neighborhood  ;  gave  many  poor  children  their  tuition 
free,  and  encouraged  them  to  persevere  in  their  studies  after 
they  had  left  school.  So  sincere,  so  sympathizing,  so  straight- 
forward in  all  that  he  did,  he  was  greatly  beloved,  not  only 
by  his  pupils  (who  venerated  him),  but  by  all  persons  who 
came  within  the  circle  of  his  influence.  I  have  heard  him 
speak  of  his  wife  and  children  ;  said  his  wife  was  a  beautiful 
woman,  and  had  dark  eyes  and  long  black  hair* — so  long  that 
she  could  sit  on  it ;  said  he  had  four  children  ;  used  to  tell  the 
girls  about  his  boys — never  heard  him  say  that  he  had  any 
daughters  ;  gave  the  names  of  his  boys,  but  I  don't  recollect 
them.  One  day  father  asked  him  why  he  did  not  bring  his 
wife  to  America.     He  said  he  had  several  reasons  :  one  was 

*  Madame  Ney  had  dark  eyes,  and  it  is  probable  she  had  dark  hair, 
"  The  softness  and  benevolence  of  Madame  Ney's  smile,  together  with 
the  intelligent  expression  of  her  large  dark  eyes,  rendered  her  a  very 
beautiful  woman,  and  her  lively  manners  and  accomplishments  enhanced 
her  personal  graces.  I  was  not  a  little  deli;i:hted  to  meet  this  charming 
person  at  Boulogne." — "  Memoirs  of  Napoleon." — Duchess  d'Abrantes. 


156         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

it  would  be  found  out  where  he  was,  and  it  would  be  danger- 
ous for  his  wife  to  come  over  here.  Besides  he  lived  in  con- 
stant expectation  of  going  back  to  France.  After  the  death 
of  Napoleon's  son,  however,  he  seldom  sj)oke  of  going  back, 
and  in  1836  he  seemed  to  have  lost  all  hope  of  ever  returning 
to  his  native  country.  This  is  shown  by  a  piece  of  poetry 
which  he  wrote  in  my  album,  dated  May  26th,  1836.*  He 
told  me  that  he  helped  to  bring  Napoleon  back  from  Elba  ; 
was  in  the  plot  before  Napoleon  left  Elba.  He  did  not  regret 
it.  The  people  wanted  Napoleon,  and  the  people  ought  to 
rule.  Father  had  a  fearful  time  with  him  for  a  week  when 
Louis  Philippe  was  placed  on  the  throne  of  France  ;  sat  u]3 
with  him  ;  was  sick  and  delirious  a  great  part  of  the  time  ; 
drew  plans  of  battles  ;  showed  father  the  scars  on  his  person 
received  in  battle.  Some  of  the  scars  he  said  were  made  by 
his  own  cavalry.  When  he  fell  they  ran  over  him.  Have 
heard  him  speak  of  the  fine  horse  he  rode  on  the  night  of  his 
escape.  I  think  he  said  he  rode  eighty  miles  before  sunrise 
the  next  morning.  Did  not  like  Lafayette  ;  said  he  was  a 
base  ingrate,  a  traitor  to  Napoleon  and  France.  Spoke  often 
of  Josephine  and  Hortense.  His  wife  and  Queen  Hortense 
were  great  friends.  Blamed  Napoleon  for  divorcing  Jose- 
phine— the  beginning  of  all  his  troubles.  Said  the  Austrian 
woman  (Marie  Louise)  ruined  Napoleon,  and  that  she  was, 
for  political  reasons,  accessory  to  young  Napoleon's  death. 
Didn't  tell  me  how  he  knew  this.  Told  my  mother,  in  1830, 
that  he  saw  his  son  in  Virginia  in  1828  or  1829.  Taught 
school  in  Mecklenburg  County,  Ya.,  in  1828-29.  The  news- 
papers stated  that  one  of  Ney's  sons  was  in  this  part  of  the 
country  in  1828.t    In  1830  or  1831  Mr.  Ney  said,  '  My  sight 

*  The  verses  are  given  in  the  documentary  evidence. 

Some  one  had  written  in  Mrs.  Dalton's  album  a  piece  of  poetry  on  the 
transitoriness  of  all  earthly  things.  In  the  sixth  stanza  occurs  the  follow- 
ing line,  "  Gone,  with  their  glories  gone."  Mr.  Ney  took  this  line  as  a 
kind  of  text.  At  the  end  of  it  he  drew  a  hand  with  the  index-finger  point- 
ing to  the  opposite  page  upon  which  he  wrote  his  verses. 

f  This  is  true.  See  New  York  Evening  Post  of  November  15th,  1828. 
In  April,  1828,  General  Lafayette  wrote  to  a  friend  in  New  England  that 
Count  Eugene  Ney,  son  of  the  unfortunate  ]\Iarshal  Ney,  would  soon  visit 


DAVID   N.    CARVALHO, 
ExpertExaminer  of  Questioned  Hand-Writing:,  Inks  and  Paper, 

Office  AND  Laboratoky  :      20S      BROADWAY. 


VX'-"^  York   City,  ^pn'l  sth,  iSg-j. 
Thomas  Whittaker,  Es<)., 

No.   2   Bible  House. 

'Dear  Sir: — I  have  made  a  careful  analysis  of  the  alleged 
handwritings  of  Marshal  Ney  and  P.  S.  Ney  contained  in  the 
eight  pages  of  original  writings  which  you  submitted  to  me. 
As  the  result  of  said  examination  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the 
writer  of  the  specimens  on  the  four  pages  purporting  to  be 
those  of  Marshal  Ney  and  the  writer  of  the  specimens  on  the 
four  pages  purporting  to  be  those  of  P.  S.  Ney,  are  one  and 
the  same  person  ;  the  variations  of  hand  being  largely  due  to 
style  of  pen  used,  the  quill,  gold  and  steel  being  all  represented, 
which  produces  the  different  quality  of  line  without  hiding  away 
tile    idiosyncracies    of  the    writer. 

Very  respectfully, 

DAVID    N.   CARVALHO. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  f  157 

never  failed  me  until  I  was  sixty  years  old.'  He  was  then 
wearing  glasses.  I  have  his  first  pair.  He  said  no  letters 
from  abroad  were  sent  directly  to  him,  but  were  sent  through 
a  man  in  this  country.  I  don't  think  he  mentioned  his  name. 
Blamed  Grouchy  severely  for  not  coming  to  Waterloo.  Mr. 
Ney  had  a  strong,  guttural  voice.  He  pronounced  Grouchy's 
name  in  a  very  peculiar  manner — Ge-r(?o-shy.  He  borrowed 
Scott's  life  of  Napoleon  from  a  lady  in  the  neighborhood 
(Mrs.  Young),  and  when  he  returned  it,  it  was  full  of  marginal 
notes.  Mrs.  Young  said,  '  Why,  the  man  has  ruined  my 
book. '  I  read  some  of  the  notes,  and  1  remember  that  ex- 
pressions like  these  frequently  occurred  :  '  That  is  not  true  ;  ' 
'  This  is  a  vile  slander,'  etc.  The  book,  I  believe,  is  now 
owned  by  William  Young,  of  Georgia.*  Mr.  Ney  told  father 
he  was  sorry  he  burnt  his  papers  when  young  Napoleon  died  ; 
was  at  a  loss  for  dates  in  re-writing  his  history.  Blamed 
Napoleon  for  his  Russian  expedition.  His  description  of  the 
horrors  of  the  retreat  was  awful.  Had  money  in  the  United 
States  Bank.  1  once  saw  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  Nicholas 
Biddle.  He  asked  father  what  he  should  do  with  his  money 
when  the  bank  failed.  I  think  he  had  $10,000  in  the  bank. 
Said  he  had  no  use  for  it — intended  to  send  it  back  to  France. 
He  would  reprove  his  pupils  sharply  for  wasting  bread,  fruit, 
etc.  He  said,  '  You  may  come  to  want,  and  it  is  wrong  in 
principle.  In  the  army  1  was  oftentimes  thankful  for  a  crust 
of  bread.'  I  well  remember  the  incident  to  which  my  brother 
refers  (the  intoxication  of  Ney  by  the  roadside,  etc.).  It 
made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  Mr.  Ney  combed  his 
hair  so  as  to  hide  the  scar  on  the  left-  side  of  his  head.  He 
was  careful  to  keep  it  covered.  His  head  was  very  large  and 
roundish — oval ;  did  not  run  up  to  a  j)oint.  He  said  he  was  five 
feet  eleven  inches  high  when  he  was  a  young  man,  but  that 
old  age  had  settled  him  down  half  an  inch.  He  never  sle])t 
more  than  five  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four.     Burned  out  a 

the  United  States.  The  original  letter  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Warren  C. 
Crane,  of  New  York  City. 

*  I  am  very  sorry  to  say  this  book  can  nowhera  be  found.    It  is  prob- 
ably lost. 


158         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

candle  every  night.  Some  persons  said  Mr.  Ney  was  an  in- 
fidel, but  he  was  not.  He  detested  hypocrisy  in  all  its  forms, 
but  no  man  ever  had  a  higher  respect  for  the  Christian  religion 
and  the  pure  worship  of  Almighty  God. ' ' 

Colonel  Junius  B.  Wheeler,  U.  S.  Army  (1884)  :  "  I  knew 
Peter  S.  Ney.  He  was  thick  set,  and  had  a  massive  head. 
His  speech  was  guttural.  He  had  a  large  scar  on  the  left  side 
of  his  head.  He  drank  whiskey,  and  was  a  great  tobacco- 
chewer.  He  told  me  once  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney,  and  how 
he  escaped.  He  said  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  troops  had 
served  under  him  in  the  Napoleonic  wars — 1  think  he  said  he 
was  his  aide-de-camp.  This  officer  told  him  that  he  would 
not  be  hurt ;  that  he  must  fall  and  simulate  death.  He  did 
so,  was  disguised,  and  finally  escaped  to  America.  I  did  not 
believe  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney  ;  but  if  the  officer  of  the  day 
was  really  one  of  his  old  staff  officers,  the  story  is  probably 
true.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  ability,  and  everybody  re- 
spected him." 

Captain  F.  M.  Rogers,  Florence,  S.  C.  (1887)  :  "  1  was  a 
pupil  of  Peter  S.  Ney  when  he  taught  at  my  father's  house  in 
Darlington  County  in  18i4  or  1845.  I  was  quite  small,  but  I 
have  a  very  clear  recollection  of  him.  He  was  then  quite  an 
old  man,  and  stooped  considerably  ;  but  his  eye  was  still  bright, 
his  faculties  unimpaired,  and  he  appeared  to  be  unusually 
strong  and  vigorous  for  one  of  his  age.  My  father  *  had  a 
very  high  opinion  of  Mr.  Ney,  and  was  probably  acquainted 
with  his  history,  f  When  asked  about  the  matter,  he  would 
invariably  give  an  indirect  answer,  and  would  change  the  sub- 
ject as  quickly  as  possible.     He  corresponded  regularly  with 

*  Colonel  Robert  Rogers. 

t  See  testimony  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Graham. 

A  Darlington  (S.  C.)  newspaper  says  :  "  In  1842  or  1843  an  old  French- 
man was  engaged  as  teacher  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Robert  Rogers,  of 
Darlington,  in  this  State.  Several  circumstances  conclusively  prove  that 
this  old  man  was  Napoleon's  favorite  marshal  .  .  .  and  .  .  .  Rogers, 
when  he  ,  .  .  us  something  ab  .  .  .  man."  The  name  and  date  of 
the  newspaper  and  a  portion  of  the  extract  (indicated  by  the  blank  spaces) 
have  been  torn  off.  Mr.  Robert  Rogers  was  "  probably  acquainted  with 
P.  S.  Ney's  history." 


WAS  MABSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  159 

Mr.  Ney  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1846.  Some  time  after 
Mr.  Ney's  death  a  man  named  Pliny  Miles  wrote  to  my 
father,  making  certain  inquiries  about  Mr,  Ney  in  the  interest 
of  some  historical  society  in  New  York.  My  father  sent  Mr. 
Ney's  letters  to  Mr.  Miles,  and  they  were  never  returned. 
One  day  when  my  father  was  absent  my  mother  said  she  in- 
tended to  find  out  who  Mr,  Ney  was.  So  at  the  dinner-table 
she  asked  Mr.  Ney  one  or  two  questions,  with  this  object  in 
view,  Mr.  Ney  smiled  and  said,  '  Mrs.  Rogers,  your  dinner 
is  good,  very  good  ;  '  but  he  did  not  answer  her  questions  sat- 
isfactorily. My  father  owned  a  little  negro  boy,  very  spright- 
ly and  active,  who  was  named  Arthur,  Mr,  Ney  taught  the 
boy  to  call  himself  Arthur  Wellesley,  Duke  of  Wellington, 
and  seemed  to  take  much  pleasure  in  making  him  repeat  this 
name  in  the  presence  of  others.  He  always  relished  the 
joke.*  Mr.  Ney  called  Mrs.  John  A.  Rogers,  Lady  Frances, 
because,  as  he  said,  of  her  queenly  appearance.  At  times,  in 
conversation,  she  looked  at  him  in  a  way  that  seemed  to  re- 
vive unpleasant  recollections,  for  Mr,  Ney  would  say,  kindly 
though  firmly,  '  Don't  look  at  me  in  that  way.  Lady  Frances 
— Madame  de  Stael — Madame  de  Stael,  'f  1  have  always  heard 
that  Mr.  Ney  landed  at  Charleston  in  the  early  part  of  1816, 
and  that  he  afterward  went  to  Georgetown,  where,  in  the 
early  fall  of  1819,  he  was  recognized  as  Marshal  Ney  by  a 
party  of  French  refugees.  These  refugees  (according  to  the 
statement  of  Chapman  Levy,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Camden) 
asserted  in  the  most  positive  terms  that  this  man  was  Marshal 
Ney,  as  they  had  frequently  seen  the  marshal  in  Paris  and 
other  places  in  France.  When  Mr,  Ney  heard  of  these  decla- 
rations he  left  Georgetown  and  went  to  Cheraw,  where  my 
grandfather,  Colonel  Benjamin  Rogers,  saw  him  in  the  fall  of 

*  No  doubt  there  was  much  sly  enjoyment  in  it, 

f  Marshal  Ney,  in  all  probability,  had  often  seen  and  conversed  with 
Madame  de  Stael,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  he  did  not  like  her.  She 
was  dictatorial,  intriguing,  meddlesome,  visionary.  She  hated  Napoleon 
and  his  army,  and  they  hated  her.  At  one  time,  however  (before  Napo- 
leon was  made  emperor),  Madame  de  Stael  was  very  fond  of  the  republi- 
can officers.  She  frequently  entertained  them  at  her  own  home.  In  1815 
she  openly  blamed  Ney  for  his  "  treachery  to  the  king." 


ICO         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

1819,  and  employed  him  to  teach  school.  He  taught  about 
three  years,  and  then  went  to  North  Carolina.  He  named  the 
residence  of  Colonel  John  A.  Rogers  sa7is  souci,  and  his 
school-house  da9is  souci.  Mr.  Ney  liked  Monongahela  whis-. 
key,  and  sometimes  drank  a  little  too  much  of  it.  Notwith- 
standing, he  was  a  good  man  and  a  very  great  man." 

Wallace  M.  Reinhardt,  Lincolnton,  N.  C.  (1890)  :  "  I  went 
to  school  to  Peter  S,  Ney  in  1838.  He  taught  at  Houston- 
ville,  Iredell  County.  All  of  his  pupils,  from  the  greatest  to 
the  least,  were  afraid  of  him,  and  yet  there  wasn't  one  who 
wouldn't  have  shed  his  blood  for  him.  He  was  very  strict 
v.'ith  his  scholars.  Two  things  he  especially  required— abso- 
lute obedience  and  good  lessons.  Woe  to  the  boy  who  dared 
to  disobey  him,  or  who  came  to  him  with  a  bad  lesson  !  He 
didn't  have  many  rules  and  regulations.  He  said  he  wanted 
the  boys  to  govern  themselves.  He  liked  to  put  them  on 
tlieir  honor.  If  a  boy  told  an  untruth,  or  imposed  upon  a 
smaller  boy,  or  did  any  kind  of  dishonest  or  unmanly  thing, 
Mr.  Ney  would  be  certain  to  punish  him  for  it  ;  and  some- 
times, if  it  were  a  bad  case,  the  punishment  would  be  quite 
severe.  His  school  was  of  a  mihtary  cast.  Even  his  very 
small  boys  were  required  to  take  a  military  posture.  A  loung- 
ing, stooping  boy  would  be  straightened  up  quickly.  The 
sharp,  commanding  voice  of  our  teacher  brought  all  shoulders 
square  to  the  front.  He  required  neatness  in  person  and 
dress,  and  perfect  order  at  all  recitations.  When  he  got  ex- 
cited, his  eyes  would  go  clear  through  you.  I  couldn't  look  at 
him.  He  was  a  perfect  Bengal  tiger.  He  admired  Washing- 
ton, but  said  he  ought  to  have  pardoned  Major  Andre.  He 
ought  to  have  shown  his  greatness  by  riding  over  public  clamor 
and  the  cra5?y  desire  for  retaliation.  He  had  no  use  for  Gen- 
eral Lafayette.  One  of  his  pupils  was  named  after  Lafayette. 
One  day  Mr.  Ney  said  to  him,  '  Lafayette,  1  am  sorry  for 
you  ;  you  ought  to  have  another  name.  Lafayette  was  not  a 
true  man.  He  treated  Napoleon  shamefully.'  In  walking, 
he  used  a  very  long  stick  or  staff,  holding  it  about  five  or  six 
inches  from  the  end.  In  the  school-room  he  sometimes  walked 
about  with  his  hands  crossed  behind  him.     He  seemed  to  be 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  IGl 

fond  of  me,  and  often  asked  me  to  cut  his  hair,  though  there 
was  not  a  great  deal  to  cut.  He  had  a  long  scar  on  the  left 
side  of  his  head,  and  he  told  me  one  day,  while  I  was  cutting 
his  hair,  how  he  received  it.  He  said  that  during  the  battle 
of  Waterloo  he  happened  to  come  in  contact  with  an  English 
officer  named  Ponsonby — I  think  he  said  General  Ponsonby — 
and  that  in  the  melee  Ponsonby  gave  him  this  wound  ;  but 
that  he  cut  Ponsonby  down,  and  broke  his  sword  in  doing  so. 
This  is  my  recollection  of  the  matter,  and  I  do  not  see  ho\r  I 
can  be  mistaken.  Mr.  Ney  had  other  wounds.  One  was  in 
his  thigh,  caused,  he  said,  by  a  bayonet  ;  another  in  his  foot 
or  ankle.  On  one  occasion,  when  we  were  fencing  with  corn- 
stalks, my  stalk  broke  and  a  piece  of  it  flew  off  and  hit  Mr. 
Ney  on  the  scar  on  his  head.  It  brought  the  blood,  but  Mr. 
Ney  did  not  get  angry.  He  asked  me  afterward  if  I  knew 
whose  head  I  had  wounded.  I  said  I  did  not.  He  then  told 
me  that  I  had  wounded  an  old  marshal  of  France.  Mr.  Ney 
sometimes  attended  the  militia  drills.  They  amused  him  in  a 
quiet  way.  He  said  he  had  a  Damascus  blade  which  he  could 
bend  double  ;  that  a  sword  was  w^orthless  unless  you  could 
bend  it  double.  One  day  he  broke  an  officer's  sword  in  try- 
ing to  bend  it.  He  told  the  officer  he  would  get  him  another 
of  better  temper  ;  but  the  officer  got  mad  and  wanted  to  fight. 
'  Very  well,'  said  Mr.  Ney,  '  you  may  take  a  sword,  and  1  will 
take  a  stick. '  But  the  officer  backed  out,  and  wouldn't  fight 
after  all.  Mr.  Ney  would  sometimes  drink  too  much  whis- 
key, and  then  he  would  tell  a  great  deal  about  himself  ;  but 
you  couldn't  get  him  in  the  presence  of  ladies  when  he  was 
drunk.  He  either  talked  to  the  men  or  shut  himself  up  in  his 
room.  He  often  said  tome,  '  Young  man,  don't  drink  liquor  ; 
let  it  alone.  1  have  troubles  that  you  know  nothing  of.  My 
old  body  is  greatly  relieved  by  stimulants.'  He  didn't  desire 
a  large  school  ;  said  people  sent  him  too  many  scholars.  The 
fact  is,  they  didn't  wish  any  other  teacher.  Mr.  Ney  often 
spoke  of  his  mother,  and  always  with  the  utmost  afifection. 
Never  heard  him  speak  of  his  father.  On  horseback  Mr.  Ney 
had  an  easy  and  commanding  appearance.  Even  the  horse 
seemed  to  feel  that  he  had  a  master.     He  would  at  once  prick 


163         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

Tip  his  ears  and  move  off  quickly.  Mr.  Ney  was  in  many 
ways  a  public  benefactor.  His  influence  for  good  is  felt  to 
this  day.  His  old  pupils  have  moulded  public  opinion  in  the 
counties  where  they  lived.  They  have  almost  uniformly  been 
sober,  honest,  industrious,  and  useful  citizens.  There  is 
scarcely  an  exception  to  this  rule." 

Witherspoon  Ervin,  Morganton,  N".  C.  (1890)  :  *  "  Some 
years  before  my  day  Peter  S.  Ney  taught  school  in  the 
Brownsville  neighborhood  of  Marlborough  County,  S.  C.  My 
older  brothers  attended  this  school.  One  day  his  mail  was 
brought  in  and  delivered  to  him.  He  read  one  of  the  papers  and 
fell  to  the  floor  as  if  struck  by  a  thunderbolt.  He  was  greatly 
depressed,  and  attempted  to  commit  suicide  by  cutting  his 
throat  ;  but  a  surgeon  was  promptly  summoned,  sewed  up  the 
gaping  wound,  and  Ney  recovered  from  the  injury.  It  was 
during  this  period  of  convalescence  that  he  employed  himself 
in  painting  in  water-colors,  from  memory  alone,  a  life-size, 
half-length  portrait  of  Napoleon  that  for  many  years  occupied 
a  prominent  place  in  our  parlor  at  home.  Comparing  it  with 
fine  steel  engravings  of  Napoleon,  I  know  that  it  was  a  won- 
derfully correct  likeness.  It  could  only  have  been  produced 
by  an  artist  of  uncommon  skill.  It  was  lifelike,  and  full  of 
character  and  expression.  The  man  who  painted  it  must  have 
been  born  with  all  the  natural  gifts  that  are  essential  to  the 
artist,  and  must  have  had  them  developed  and  trained  by  care- 
ful cultivation.  The  portrait  had  a  fascination  for  me  as  if  it 
were  a  living  thing.  I  remember,  when  a  mere  child,  lying 
alone  uj^on  the  floor  in  tlie  parlor  for  hours  looking  up  into 
that  wonderful  face.  I  have  often  heard  the  inquiry  made  of 
my  father  as  to  whether  P.  S.  Ney  was  indeed  the  French 
marshal.  His  opinion  was  very  promptly  given  that  he  was 
not  ;  and  I  think  his  mere  opinion,  as  a  leading  lawyer  of  the 
State,  is  entitled  to  great  weight.  When  tlie  inquiry  was 
made  of  him,  he  stated  that  Ney  never  claimed  to  be  the  mar- 
shal except  when  under  the  hallucination  produced  by  drink- 
ing, and  was  seriously  offended,  when  sober,  if  any  one  pre- 

*  From  the  Statesville  (N.  C.)  Landmark. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  103 

sunied  to  address  liiiii  by  that  title.  Another  reason  assigned 
for  his  opinion  was  that  Peter  S.  Ney  M'as  a  scholar  of  fine 
literary  attainments,  while  Michael  ISTey  was  a  rude  and  uncul- 
tivated soldier,  only  knowing  how  to  set  '  legions  in  the  field.' 
Another  objection  was  that  Peter  S,  ISTey  was  a  somew^iat 
younger  man  than  the  marshal  was  supposed  to  be.  His  opin- 
ion, founded  on  what  reason  I  do  not  know,  was  that  Peter 
Ney  was  a  nephew  of  the  marshal.  My  father,  Colonel  James 
R.  Ervin,  died  in  1836.  I  then  lived  with  my  elder  brother, 
Samuel.  In  1839,  I  think,  while  sitting  at  a  window  in  the 
parlor,  preparing  my  lesson  for  the  afternoon  session  at  the 
academy,  1  saw  my  brother  coming  up  to  dinner  accompanied 
by  a  tall,  soldierly-looking  man,  of  full  habit,  white  locks, 
looking,  in  spite  of  his  white  hair,  like  a  man  of  unabated 
strength  and  vigor.  I  at  once  leaped  to  the  conclusion,  from 
his  physiognomy  and  bearing,  that  he  was  a  Scotch  merchant 
from  Charleston.  In  five  or  six  minutes  several  young  men 
came  in  to  dinner.  Every  one  at  the  table  treated  the  stranger 
with  great  deference  and  respect,  and  addressed  him  as  mar- 
shal, which  1  presumed  to  be  his  name.  He  was  a  man  of 
notable  presence,  whom  one  passing  on  the  street  would  turn 
to  look  at  again.  As  soon  as  dinner  was  over  I  asked  my 
brother  who  his  guest,  Mr.  Marshall,  was.  '  Why,  that  was 
Marshal  Ney  !  Why  did  you  not  come  in  and  speak  to  him  ? ' 
With  the  eagerness  of  a  boy  to  see  something  of  a  noted  char- 
acter of  whom  he  had  heard  so  much,  I  ran  to  overtake  the 
party  who  had  just  left,  when  my  brother  informed  me  that 
Mr.  Ney  had  probably  left  for  a  distant  point  in  a  neighboring 
county.  The  young  men  who  had  gathered  around  jSTey  were 
his  former  pupils,  whom  he  had  taught  some  years  previously. 
About  this  time  1  spent  a  day  with  Colonel  B.  W.  William- 
son, a  former  pupil  of  Ney,  at  his  pleasant  home  near  Dar- 
lington. The  conversation  turned  upon  Ney,  and  when  I 
mentioned  the  fact  of  his  being  addressed  as  marshal.  Colonel 
Williamson  remarked  that  I  must  certainly  be  mistaken  in 
that  particular,  for  it  was  exceedingly  offensive  to  Ney  to  have 
that  title  applied  to  him  except  when  under  the  influence  of 
drink.     The  reply  to  this  objection  was  obvious.     It  probably 


164         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

was  true  that  JSTey  was  under  the  influence  of  drink  at  the  time 
referred  to,  and  that  I  failed  to  discover  it.  The  inference  to 
be  drawn  from  Colonel  Williamson's  statement  is  that  the 
anger  which  Ney  felt  arose  from  obtruding  upon  him,  when 
sober  the  follj  he  had  committed  in  his  moments  of  intoxica- 
tion in  setting  up  a  claim  to  be  other  than  he  was.  U  pon  the 
death  of  my  father  his  library  passed  into  the  hands  of  my 
brother.  In  it  were  many  books  with  marginal  notes  in  the 
characteristic  handwriting  of  P.  S.  Ney,  which,  in  my  estima- 
tion, added  much  to  their  value.  Sometimes  these  annota- 
tions were  in  shorthand,  but  occasionally  in  French  or  in  Eng- 
lish, and  signed  by  his  name  or  initials.  In  a  volume  of 
Scott's  poems  is  a  poem  entitled  '  To  Napoleon  Bonaparte  at 
Waterloo.'  At  the  word  Waterloo  is  an  asterisk,  which  refers 
the  reader  to  a  manuscript  poem  at  the  conclusion,  occupying 
a  page  and  a  half  left  blank  in  the  old  edition.  It  was  in  the 
handwriting  of  Peter  S.  Ney,  and  at  the  close  signed  with  his 
name.  I  read  it  over  once  and  hurriedly,  not  dreaming  then 
that  it  contained  evidence  as  to  a  fact  that  might  come  up  for 
discussion.  There  were  probably  thirty  or  forty  lines,  but 
only  the  first  two  remained  fixed  in  my  memory  : 

"  '  Where  broken  bones  and  fractured  skull 
Had  all  but  ruined  this  poor  hull.' 

Then  followed  several  other  lines  of  considerable  beauty. " 

Hon.  H.  G.  Bunn,  Camden,  Ark.  (September  15th,  1892)  : 
*'  A  year  ago  I  was  travelling  on  the  cars  and  made  the  pass- 
ing acquaintance  of  a  foreigner  of  reading  and  intelligence. 
His  name  has  escaped  me.  He  had  been  in  this  country  ten 
or  fifteen  years.  I  think  he  was  a  Polish  gentleman,  but  had 
lived  in  Paris  much  of  his  time  before  coming  to  this  country. 
In  some  way  (as  such  things  will  happen)  we  were  led  to  talk 
of  the  story  of  Peter  S.  Ney.  It  seemed  that  he  had  made 
himself  acquainted  with  the  prominent  parts  of  the  story.  It 
will  interest  you  only  to  repeat  here  in  substance  what  he  said 
he  had  heard  in  Paris  or  from  Paris  since  he  left  the  city. 

"As  I  understood  him,  he  said  in  substance  this  :  In 
1853  or  1854,  after  Louis  Napoleon  had  become  firmly  seated 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  IGo 

on  tlie  imperial  throne  of  France,  a  question  arose  as  to  the 
integrity  of  the  account  of  the  execution  of  Marshal  Ney. 
This  question  somehow  affected,  or  was  supposed  to  affect,  the 
honor  of  the  Napoleonic  or  that  of  the  Bourbon  house  ;  I 
could  not  exactly  understand  from  the  narrator  how  this  was. 
Anyway,  the  story  goes  that  Louis  Napoleon  became  so  inter- 
ested in  the  matter  as  to  appoint  a  commission  to  open  the 
grave  of  the  long-buried  marshal.  The  story  goes  on  to  say 
that  no  remains  were  in  the  decayed  coffin,  and  the  evidence 
was  that  it  had  never  contained  anything." 

Vardry  A.  McBee,  Lincolnton,  N.  C.  (1890)  :  "  I  was  a 
pupil  of  Peter  S.  Ney  in  1834.  There  was  no  man  in  the 
country  who  could  compare  with  him  as  a  teacher.  He  was 
facile  jprincejps.  He  easily  gained  the  love  and  confidence  of 
his  pupils,  although  he  exacted  implicit  obedience  to  his  com- 
mand, and  was  in  every  respect  a  very  strict  disciplinarian. 
He  was  quite  a  large  man,  tall,  erect,  of  soldierly  bearing,  and 
imposing  presence.  He  seemed  born  to  command.  All  per- 
sons regarded  him  as  a  man  of  superior  parts,  and  he  exerted 
a  controlling  influence  wherever  he  went.  No  pupil,  how- 
ever large,  would  for  a  moment  think  of  disobeying  his  slight- 
est commands.  He  had  a  quick  temper,  and  sometimes  he 
would  get  quite  vexed  with  dull  and  lazy  scholars.  On  such 
occasions  he  would  use  the  rod  with  considerable  freedom. 
He  had  a  big,  round  chin,  a  firm,  well-chiselled  mouth,  large 
nose,  ample  forehead,  and  square,  heavy  jaws  that  indicated 
the  greatest  determination.  His  eyes  were  of  a  grayish  color, 
sparkling,  and  unfathomably  deep.  He  looked  like  a  lion. 
His  countenance,  his  walk,  his  movements,  his  bearing,  his 
general  expression  and  make-up  had  a  decidedly  leonine  cast. 
Though  he  would  occasionally  drink  too  much,  yet  this  habit 
never  injured  him  in  the  estimation  of  those  who  knew  him, 
or,  I  may  say,  of  the  people  generally.  The  great  influence 
which  he  exerted  over  the  community  in  which  he  lived  was 
of  a  pure,  wholesome,  and  elevating  character.  He  left  be- 
hind him  a  name  of  which  any  one  might  well  feel  proud." 

Dr.   J.   R.  B.  Adams,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (1886)  :  "  I  have 
been  entirely  satisfied  in  my  own  mind  since  1842  that  P.  S. 


1G6         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

]SIey,  wlio  taught  scliool  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  my 
residence  for  two  years  or  more,  and  is  now  buried  in  Third 
Creek  Churchyard,  was  the  veritable  Marshal  Ney.  I  met 
him  often,  and  1  observed  him  closely.  I  never  saw  a  more 
level-headed  man,  or  one  with  greater  force  of  character.  He 
took  a  plain,  practical,  common-sense  view  of  everything. 
There  was  no  circumlocution  about  him.  He  came  directly 
to  the  point,  and  expressed  his  views  (which  were  rarely  wrong 
on  any  subject)  with  exceeding  clearness  and  power.  He  de- 
spised shams  of  all  kinds,  and  denounced  them  in  pretty  severe 
terms.  There  was  not  the  shadow  of  hypocrisy  about  the 
man.  Everybody  felt  this,  or,  with  all  his  strength  of  mind, 
he  could  not  have  exercised  the  power  over  the  people  which 
he  did.  This  was  simply  marvellous.  He  was  a  fine  speci- 
men of  physical  manhood,  tall,  large,  and  well  proportioned, 
with  a  manly  and  majestic  bearing.  He  had  a  large,  broad 
forehead,  bulging  out  considerably  about  the  eyes.  The  per- 
ceptive faculties  were  very  large.  Very  heavy,  shaggy  eye- 
brows, which  gave  him  a  stern  and  severe-looking  countenance, 
especially  as  his  eyes  were  uncommonly  brilhant  and  piercing. 
They  seemed  to  look  clear  through  you.  He  was  a  splendid 
judge  of  human  nature.  It  didn't  take  him  long  to  read  a 
person's  true  character.  He  avoided  crowds,  sought  only  the 
best  company,  and  was  very  quiet  and  reserved  in  his  general 
demeanor.  He  did  much  for  the  poor,  especially  poor  chil- 
dren. They  remember  him  with  deep  thankfulness  to  this 
day.  He  had  no  vices  except  drinking.  He  scorned  every- 
thing that  was  dishonest  or  little,  though  he  was  pretty  abrupt 
in  his  manners.  One  evening  Mrs.  Adams's  uncle,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Hall,  held  a  prayer-meeting  at  the  house  at  which  Mr. 
Ney  boarded.  Mr.  Hall  had  a  good  pair  of  lungs,  and  his 
prayers  were  long  and  loud.  After  the  meeting  was  over, 
Mr.  Ney  had  occasion  to  walk  across  the  room  ;  and  as  he 
passed  Mr.  Hall  he  said  to  him  in  a  gruff  voice,  '  Is  your 
Maker  deaf  ? '  The  next  morning  Mr.  Ney  apologized  to  Mr. 
Hall  for  the  language  which  he  had  used.  He  was  not  only 
just,  but  he  was  merciful.  Mr.  Lewis  Williams,  a  member  of 
Congress  for  many  years,  offered  Mr.  Ney  a  good  government 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  167 

position  in  Wasliington  City,  but  Mr.  Nej  unhesitatingly  de- 
clined it.  About  the  year  184:2  I  met  in  Alabama  a  foreigner 
who  called  himself  Colonel  Lamanouski  (the  name  may  be 
incorrectly  spelled).  He  was  making  a  tour  of  the  Southern 
States,  lecturing  on  Xapoleon's  campaigns.  He  told  me  that 
he  was  perfectly  convinced,  from  what  he  had  seen  and  heard 
in  France  and  in  this  country,  that  Marshal  Ney  was  not  exe- 
cuted. He  said  that  he  belonged  (I  think)  to  the  Polish 
Corps  in  Napoleon's  army,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  Mar- 
shal Ney.  He  said  that  if  the  North  Carolina  school-teacher 
were  Marshal  Ney,  he  could  recognize  him  at  a  glance.  1  do 
not  think  he  ever  met  him.  About  the  year  1840  Rev.  J.  M. 
Wilson,  Professor  Hugh  R.  Hall,  and  Colonel  Thomas  A. 
Allison  were  appointed  by  the  trustees  of  Davidson  College  a 
committee  to  draw  up  a  device  for  the  college  seal.  At  their 
request  Mr.  Ney  assisted  them.  In  a  few  minutes  he  pre- 
pared both  the  device  and  the  legend.  These  were  very  ac- 
ceptable to  the  college  authorities,  and  were  at  once  adopted.  * 
Those  who  knew  him  longest  and  best  were  firmly  convinced 
that  he  was  Marshal  Ney." 

Thomas  Scott  Wood,  Cleveland,  N.  C.  (1884)  :  "  I  knew 
Peter  S.  Ney  ;  was  a  pupil  of  his  for  several  months.  In 
my  younger  days  I  was  very  robust  and  strong,  fond  of  hunt- 
ing, fishing,  boxing,  wrestling,  etc.  Mr.  Ney  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  whipping  his  big  bad  boys  ;  and  as  1  knew  my 
father  expected  to  send  me  to  school  to  him,  I  said  publicly 
that  Mr.  Ney  should  never  whip  me.  I  was  about  nineteen 
years  old.  The  first  daj''  I  went  to  school  I  took  my  seat  at  a 
desk  near  the  door,  and  put  my  hat  on  the  desk  before  me. 
Mr.  Ney  came  to  me  and  said  very  pleasantly,  '  Every  boy 
has  a  peg  for  his  hat ;  now  there  is  your  peg ' — pointing  to  one 
not  far  from  me.  '  Always  put  your  hat  on  that. '  I  got  up, 
and,  dragging  my  feet  behind  me,  put  my  hat  on  the  peg. 
Mr.  Ney  was  watching  me.  The  next  morning  I  walked  into 
the  school-room,  took  my  seat,  and  placed  my  hat  on  the  desk 
before  me  as  I  had  done  the  day  before.     Quick  as  lightning 

*  See  testimony  of  Rev.  Dr.  Rockwell. 


168         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Mr,  JSey  sprang  from  his  seat  and  came  to  me.  '  Sir,'  said 
he,  in  a  deep,  stentorian  voice  which  I  can  never  forget, 
'  take  that  hat  and  put  it  on  top  of  the  house  ! '  I  looked  up 
and  caught  his  eye — that  eye.  It  was  flaming,  sparkling  like 
diamonds.  1  began  to  tremble  from  head  to  foot.  I  had  no 
strength  left  in  me.  Mr.  Key,  seeing  that  he  had  conquered 
me,  changed  his  tone  and  manner,  and  said  very  kindly, 
'  Well,  if  you  don't  want  to  put  it  on  top  of  the  house,  put  it 
on  the  door  then. '  I  looked  up  at  the  open  door,  and  saw 
there  was  a  chance  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty.  I  sprang 
to  my  feet,  and  put  my  hat  on  the  door.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  Mr.  Ney  had  no  further  trouble  with  me.  From 
that  moment  I  began  to  like  him,  and  when  I  left  school  he 
had  no  more  devoted  friend  in  the  whole  country  than  my- 
self. I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  was  the  greatest  man  I 
ever  knew.  One  of  my  neighbors,  who  had  long  known  Mr. 
Ney,  said  to  me  one  day,  '  Well,  if  he  was  not  Marshal  Ney, 
he  ought  to  have  been.'  He  was  a  large,  handsome  man  ; 
broad  and  full-chested,  well  made,  strong,  capable  of  enduring 
any  amount  of  privation  or  fatigue.  He  had  two  wounds  that 
I  especially  remember — a  long  scar  on  his  head,  evidently 
made  by  a  sabre,  and  a  deep  wound  on  his  arm  (I  forget 
which  one),  between  the  shoulder  and  elbow.  He  had  a  kind 
of  double  chin,  large,  round,  protruding,  and  slightly  turned 
up.  His  whole  countenance  was  stamped  with  an  air  of  un- 
conquerable energy  and  determination.  He  ate  the  simplest 
food  ;  was  very  fond  of  soup  ;  *  would  often  eat  nothing  else 
for  dinner.  The  school-room  was  not  very  far  from  his  board- 
ing-house, and  his  landlady  would  generally  send  him  for  din- 
ner a  bowl  of  rich  soup,  some  light  bread,  and  two  or  three 
large  pods  of  red  pepper.  He  would  cut  up  the  red  pepper 
into  his  soup  and  eat  it  with  great  relish.  He  said  the  coun- 
try people  always  threw  away  the  best  part  of  what  they  called 
a  boiled  dinner — the  ;pot  liquor.  Mr.  Ney  died  in  184G  at 
the  residence  of  Osborne  G.  Foard,  in  this  county.  There 
was   a  large  attendance    at    his    funeral.     The    sermon  was 

*  Soup  was  the  principal  dish  of  the  French  soldiers. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  169 

preached  by  the  Rev.  James  Adams,  a  Presbyterian  clergy- 
man. His  death  produced  a  profound  sensation  in  the  entire 
community.  There  were  many  tears  shed  over  his  grave. 
Every  one  felt  that  oar  greatest  man,  and  in  God's  eyes  one  of 
the  best  of  men,  had  been  taken  from  us." 

Editor  Times,  Danville,  Va.  (1888)  :  "  Anything  relating 
to  Peter  Nej^,  whose  body  was  dug  up  recently  in  Rowan 
County,  N.  C,  to  see  if  he  was  the  great  Marshal  Ney,  is  in- 
teresting. We  have  a  sister  who  went  to  school  to  the  said 
Peter  in  the  year  1829.  She  was  then  nine  years  old,  and 
boarded  at  Major  Thomas  Nelson's,  in  Mecklenburg  County, 
Ya.  Mr.  Ney,  she  says,  taught  school  at  Abbeyville  in  an 
old  house  which  had  been  used  as  a  store — a  two-story  house. 
He  had  a  number  of  scholars,  male  and  female,  and  was  con- 
sidered a  first-rate  teacher.  He  kept  a  reed  stuck  in  a  hole  by 
the  mantelpiece,  which,  when  occasion  required,  he  would 
pull  out  and  use  vigorously  on  the  bad  boys.  One  day  the 
little  school-girl  aforesaid,  in  company  with  some  of  her  com- 
j)anions,  ran  up  into  the  garret,  where  the  old  fellow  did  his 
painting,  and  was  surprised  to  see  a  portrait  he  had  painted  of 
Bonaparte.  He  painted  flowers  also,  and  beautifully,  and 
made  poetry.  Saturdays  he  frequently  got  drunk,  and  when 
in  that  condition  he  talked  about  Bonaparte,  and  said  he  him- 
self was  Marshal  Ney.  The  same  little  school-girl,  now  an 
old  lady,  distinctly  remembers  his  bald  head  and  a  long,  deep 
cut  on  the  left  side.  She  saj^s,  as  she  stood  up  by  him  to  say 
her  lesson,  many  a  time  she  felt  like  putting  her  finger  on  the 
scar.  Whether  Peter  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney  or  not,  there  is 
something  very  mysterious  about  his  history." 

General  W.  W.  Harllee,  Florence,  S.  C.  (1888)  :  "  About 
the  year  1840 — I  forget  the  exact  date — the  Governor  of 
South  Carolina  attended  a  military  review  of  the  State  troops. 
A  great  many  persons  were  present,  and  it  was  an  occasion  of 
much  interest.  The  governor  invited  Peter  S.  Ney  to  act  as 
an  honorary  aide-de-camp.  Mr.  Ney  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  ajDpeared  with  the  governor  on  the  review  mounted  on  a 
magnificent  charger,  which  had  been  procured  for  him.  I 
think  he  was  without  doubt  the  finest-lookine;  man  I  ever 


170  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

saw.  He  was  well  dressed,  and  his  bearing  was  superb.  He 
was  every  inch  the  soldier.  His  military  form  and  carriage, 
his  easy,  graceful  horsemanship,  his  commanding  presence 
attracted  every  one's  attention.  Numerous  inquiries  were 
made  about  him,  and  he  really  attracted  more  attention  than 
the  governor  himself. ' '  * 

Hon.  J.  G.  Hall,  Hickory,  N.  C.  :  "  I  have  often  heard  of 
Peter  S.  Ney.  I  lived  in  the  county  (Iredell)  where  he  taught 
school  for  several  years.  People  generally  looked  upon  Mr. 
Ney  with  a  sort  of  awe,  and  thought  that  he  was  privileged  to 
drink  a  little  too  much.  It  was  a  kind  of  dispensation  which 
even  the  strictest  Presbyterians  allowed  him — a  concession  to 
the  man's  superiority  and  greatness." 

Dr.  Robert  H.  Dalton,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  (1870)  :  "  I  began 
to  practise  medicine  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1827,  in  Guilford 
County,  N.  C,  at  a  place  now  called  Hillsdale.  Some  time 
in  1827  or  1828  a  gentleman  put  up  at  the  hotel  where  I 
boarded,  and  remained  several  days.  He  purported  to  be  on 
his  way  to  Raleigh  to  confer  with  the  governor  of  the  State 
in  relation  to  writing  the  history  of  North  Carolina,  and  we 
understood  that  he  had  been  engaged  to  do  the  work.  He 
soon  seemed  to  take  to  my  little  office,  and  was  much  interest- 
ed in  my  small  new  library,  composed  of  a  fair  selection  of 
standard  medical  books  and  a  few  choice  historical,  literary, 
and  poetical  works.  I  shall  ever  remember  a  remark  he  made 
more  than  once  while  standing  and  looking  at  my  books,  so 
nicely  arranged  in  the  httle  case  :  '  A  few  books  well  read  are 
worth  thousands  kept  to  ornament  the  shelves.  Know  all  in 
these  books,  young  man,  and  jou  will  be  great.' 

*  This  incident  proves  that  P.  S.  Ney  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  best 
men  in  the  country.  In  antebellum  days  it  was  a  great  honor  to  be  an 
aide-de-camp  of  the  Governor  of  South  Carolina. 

When  P.  S.  Ney  first  came  to  the  United  States  his  motto  was,  "  Fuge 
magna"— be  modest,  be  humble,  avoid  publicity.  In  the  present  instance 
the  temptation  was  probably  too  strong  to  be  resisted.  On  all  other  occa- 
sions he  seems  to  have  avoided  the  public  eye.  In  1846— the  year  in 
which  he  died — he  was  invited  by  a  friend  to  attend  the  Commencement 
exercises  of  the  State  University.  His  reply  was  :  "  No,  no,  I  can't  go  ; 
obscurity  is  my  splendor."  In  his  private  register  he  wrote,  "  Who  can 
be  always  watching  ?" 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  171 

"  Wg  soon  understood  tliat  he  was  a  Frenchman,  and  that 
his  name  was  Ney,  though  his  language  betrayed  no  brogue, 
but  was  clear,  chaste,  and  exceedingly  fluent.  When  talking 
with  me  he  spoke  feelingly  of  Baron  Larrey,  Napoleon's  great 
surgeon,  and  seemed  delighted  to  dwell  on  his  character  and 
exploits,  relating  many  incidents  and  anecdotes  which  I  have 
never  seen  in  print,  proving  his  great  intimacy  with  that  great 
man.*  On  evenings  at  tea  and  until  bedtime  we  drew  him 
out  on  subjects  involving  the  history  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, and  it  was  very  evident  that  no  one  but  an  actual  partici- 
pant in  that  wonderful  drama  could  have  delineated  the  facts 
and  incidents  with  such  positive  clearness  and  precision  ;  and 
1  am  sure  that  the  bitterest  enemy  of  Napoleon  and  his  cause 
could  not  have  arisen  from  these  discussions  with  opinions  ad- 
verse to  his  honor  and  his  merit.  He  denied  that  Napoleon 
was  a  tyrant,  but  represented  him  as  a  providential  agent  of 
reformation,  designed  to  ameliorate  tlie  condition  of  his  people 
by  inaugurating  free  institutions  for  France,  which  could  not 
be  done  on  account  of  the  selfish  interest  and  jealousy  of  all 
the  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  whose  very  existence  depended 
on  the  maintenance  of  absolute  government  for  all  the  na- 
tionalities ;  that  in  defence  of  these  just  and  holy  principles 
he  was  perpetually  assailed  by  these  despotic  powers  ;  and  for 
the  preservation  of  his  people  and  their  righteous  cause  he  was 
forced  to  centralize  the  powers  of  the  nation  to  repel  invasion  ; 
and  that  for  these  reasons  there  never  was  a  time  w'hen  he 
could  possibly  have  carried  out  his  views.  Hence  the  empire, 
with  all  its  semblance  of  military  government.  ...  He  was, 
I  think,  fully  six  feet  high,  neither  corpulent  nor  lean,  with  a 
florid  complexion  and  auburn  hair.     His  head  was  large,  and 

*  Larrey  and  Ney  had  much  ia  common.  Both  were  honest,  gentle, 
merciful,  rough,  blunt,  candid,  self-denying,  patriotic,  brave,  plain, 
practical,  strong-minded,  persevering,  and  devoted  to  duty.  They  must 
have  been  great  friends.  This  is  evident  from  Larrey's  "Memoirs." 
"Come  here,"  said  Larrey  to  the  soldiers  vpho  were  slightly  wounded, 
"  or  I  will  cut  off  your  ears."  One  day  he  said  to  Napoleon,  with  great 
bluntness  and  boldness,  "  Let  every  man  attend  to  his  own  business." 
Napoleon  said  at  St.  Helena  that  Larrey  was  the  "most  virtuous  man 
that  he  had  ever  known." 


172         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

high,  behind.  He  wore  no  beard  ;  and  his  face,  though  hand- 
some, showed  what  are  called  weather-beaten  marks.  He  wag 
a  man  of  the  noblest  physique  and  most  commanding  appear- 
ance I  ever  saw.  I  remember  well  the  scar  on  his  head,  but 
I  had  not  the  temerity  to  ask  about  its  cause.  In  discussing 
the  dynasties  of  Europe  in  connection  with  Napoleon,  he 
seemed  to  enter  into  the  very  essence  of  their  constitutions, 
and  his  criticisms  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my  mind. 
Taking  him  altogether,  I  am  sure  he  was  the  finest  specimen 
of  humanity,  j)hysically  and  mentally,  I  ever  knew.  If  he 
lived  till  1854  he  must  have  been  very  old.  I  ventured  once, 
by  way  of  ascertaining  whether  he  was  Marshal  Ney  or  not, 
to  ask  him  if  he  was  related  to  the  family  of  that  name.  I 
can  never  forget  his  startled  look.  He  gave  me  an  evasive 
answer,  which  I  took  as  a  rebuke  for  my  impertinence.  I 
have  seen  and  conversed  with  many  great  men,  but  with  none 
greater  than    Peter  Stuart  Ney." 

Mrs.  Sarah  Anna  (Locke)  Campbell,  Jerseyville,  111.  (1887)  : 
"  My  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Anna  Locke.  I  knew  Mr.  Ney 
very  well.  He  often  visited  my  father's  house.  He  was  a 
large  man,  with  a  dark  red  face  badly  pitted  from  the  small- 
pox. His  nose  was  very  large — not  a  peaked  one.  He  was  a 
swift  runner  and  a  fine  horseman.  When  at  the  house  of  my 
father  (Major  John  Locke)  he  would  often  pull  down  my  long 
back  hair  and  say,  sometimes  with  tears,  '  It  is  just  hke  mj' 
wife's. '  He  often  talked  about  his  wife  and  children.  Ac- 
cording to  my  recollection,  he  said  he  had  three  sons,  and 
that  his  wife  was  living.  He  was  very  kind-hearted — too 
much  so,  indeed,  for  his  own  good.  When  he  had  more 
trouble  than  he  could  bear  he  would  take  to  drinking  sprees. 
He  had  no  use,  however,  for  any  but  the  best  people,  and  was 
highly  respected." 

Mrs.  B.  G.  Worth,  Wilmington,  N.  C.  (1887)  :  ''My 
grandfather.  Judge  Archibald  D.  Murphey,  believed  that 
Peter  S.  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney.  He  taught  school  in  Judge 
Murphey's  family,  and  my  mother  was  greatly  attached  to 
him.  She  thought  him  one  of  the  kindest  and  best  men  that 
ever  lived.     Judge  Murphey  had  the  highest  opinion  of  his 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  173 

ability  and  character.  He  and  Mr.  Key  were  great  friends. 
Mr.  Ney  would  sometimes  stroke  my  sister's  hair  and  say, 
'  You  look  just  like  my  wife,  with  your  dark  eyes  and  your 
lono;  black  hair.'  " 

Hon.  David  L.  Swain,  President  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  (186S)  :  "I  have  been  familiar  with  the  name  and 
handwriting  of  P.  S.  Ney  (so  called)  for  about  forty  years. 
General  James  Cook,  a  lawyer,  who  died  in  Mocksville,  N.  C, 
some  years  since,  whom  I  knew  very  familiarly,  went  to  school 
to  Ney  forty  years  ago  and  was  a  firm  believer  in  his  marshal- 
ship,  and  entertained  lofty  ideas  of  his  abilities  and  attain- 
ments. More  than  thirty  years  ago  Judge  Murphcy  employed 
!Ney  to  copy  historical  manuscripts  and  tracts.  He  was  a  neat 
and  ready  copyist.  Pliny  Miles  had  some  manuscripts  which 
once  belonged  to  P.  S.  Ney.  I  frankly  told  him  that,  in  my 
opinion,  his  hero  was  not  Marshal  Ney.  Mr.  Miles  seemed 
to  be  firmly  convinced  that  he  was." 

Giles  E.  Mumford,  Mocksville,  N.  C.  (1877)  :  "  1  was  a 
pupil  of  Peter  S.  Ney  when  he  taught  one  mile  north  of 
Mocksville  in  1832.  He  always  had  a  full  school.  At  that  time 
fifteen  or  twenty  grown  young  men  were  going  to  him.  I  lived 
in  Mocksville,  and  Mr.  Ney  got  me  to  bring  his  mail  to  him, 
Thomas  McNeely  (I  think)  was  postmaster.  One  Monday 
morning  I  came  rather  late  to  school.  I  found  my  copy-books 
all  ready  for  writing,  and  the  larger  scholars  were  all  out 
studying  their  lessons.  Mr.  Ney  always  allowed  the  larger 
scholars  to  do  so.  He  took  several  newspapers.  One  was  the 
Waic7ima7i,  printed  by  H.  C.  Jones,  Salisbury.  Mr.  Ney 
always  read  the  Watchman  first,  for  he  wrote  a  good  deal  for 
that  paper.  If  you  will  see  Mr.  Bruner,  the  present  editor, 
you  may  find  several  pieces  from  his  pen.  His  signature  was 
'  O. '  When  1  handed  Mr.  Ney  his  mail  that  morning  he 
stopped  writing  and  opened  the  Watc/mian  and  commenced 
reading.  He  always  read  the  poetry  and  deaths  and  marriages 
first.  As  soon  as  he  opened  the  paper  he  became  deathly 
pale,  rose  from  his  desk,  walked  to  the  middle  of  the  room, 
threw  the  paper  on  the  floor,  jumped  on  it  with  both  feet,  and 
stamped  it  to  pieces  before  saying  a  word.     After  trampling 


174         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

it  to  atoms,  lie  said  with  a  perfect  tremor,  '  Now,  damn  you, 
lie  tliere  !  '  *  He  then  turned  to  the  scholars  in  the  room  and 
said,  '  School  is  dismissed.'  The  scholars,  not  knowing  what 
was  the  matter,  for  they  were  all  small,  commenced  gathering- 
hat  and  bonnets,  which  made  so  much  noise  that  the  larger 
scholars  came  in  and  asked  Mr.  Ney  what  was  the  matter. 
'  Young  Napoleon,'  said  he,  'is  dead,  and  my  hopes  are  all 
blasted.  I  can't  go  back  to  France.'  Mr.  Ney  comm.anded 
the  greatest  respect  from  his  scholars.  We  all  loved  him,  I 
think,  as  a  father.  When  the  news  got  to  Mocks ville,  the  most 
influential  men  of  the  place  came  up  to  the  schoolhouse  and 
tried  to  get  Mr,  Ney  to  continue  the  school,  but  he  taught  no 
more  for  some  weeks." 

James  McCulloh,  Mocksville,  N.  C.  (1888)  :  "  1  knew  P.  S. 
Ney.  He  came  to  my  father's  house  one  day  about  the  year 
183tt  or  1835.  His  eyes  quickly  fell  on  a  picture  of  young 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  which  was  hanging  upon  the  wall.  He 
immediately  went  to  it  and  stood  looking  at  it  intently  for 
some  time.  When  he  turned  away  his  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 
'  If  that  boy  had  lived, '  said  he,  '  I  should  not  be  here. '  I 
have  the  picture  now.  Young  Napoleon  appears  to  be  about 
twenty  years  old,  and  is  quite  fine-looking.  He  is  dressed  in 
a  uniform,  with  a  sword  in  his  hand.  Size  of  picture,  about 
14  X  12  inches.  Underneath  are  the  words,  '  Young  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte.' " 

Rev.  E.  F.  Rockwell,  D.D.,  Iredell  County,  N.  C.  (1886)  : 
"  When  Peter  S.  Ney  was  living  in  this  part  of  the  country 
— say  from  1830-42 — there  was  a  general  belief  among  all 
classes,  especially  those  who  knew  him,  that  he  was  the  cele- 
brated marshal  of  the  First  Empire.  Indeed,  if  he  was  not 
Marshal  Ney,  it  is  very  difficult  to  tell  who  he  was,  for  Peter 
S.  Ney  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  Marshal  Ney.     It  is 

*  P.  S.  Ney  was  exceedingly  careful  not  to  use  profane  language  in  the 
presence  of  his  pupils.  His  usual  by-words  were,  ' '  By  Jove  !"  "  By 
the  powers  !"  "  Dash  your  hide  !"  etc.  In  the  present  instance  his  grief 
was  simply  overpowering.  Mr.  Burgess  Gaither,  who  was  present  when 
Mr.  Ney  read  the  announcement  of  young  Napoleon's  death,  does  not 
think  he  used  the  profane  language  attributed  to  him  by  Mr.  Mumford. 


WAS  MARSHAL  li'ET  EXECUTED  ?  175 

thought  by  many  persons  that  the  Hon.  George  Bancroft  is  in 
Ney's  secret.  The  writer  of  this  a  few  years  ago,  through  a 
friend  in  ^ew  York,  addressed  a  note  to  him,  which  was 
taken  to  him  at  his  office  ;  but  he  did  not  reply.  More  re- 
cently a  lawyer  in  New  York,  Hiram  B.  Crosby,  wrote  to  him, 
and  received  the  following  reply  : 

"  '  Newport,  R.  I.,  October  2,  1877. 

"  '  Dear  Sir  :  On  the  subject  to  which  you  refer  in  your 
letter  of  September  6tli,  I  have  no  information  beyond  that 
which  is  open  to  all  the  world.  I  return  the  document  which 
you  enclosed  to  me,  and  if  you  yourself  take  an  interest  in  the 
investigation,  I  am  very  sorry  to  be  wholly  unable  to  further 
your  inquiries. 

"  '  I  remain,  dear  sir, 

"  '  Yery  respectfully  yours, 

"  '  George  Bancroft.' 

' '  The  '  document '  referred  to  is  the  copy  of  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Crosby  relative  to  the  Key  mystery.  Mr.  Crosby  says  that 
Mr.  Bancroft's  letter  is  a  'singular  one,'  and  that  he  is  at  a 
loss  to  understand  his  position  unless  he  is  under  a  pledge  of 
secrecy  to  reveal  nothing.  He  expressed  an  intention  to  go 
and  see  Mr.  Bancroft  in  person.*     Mr.  Ney  kept  very  close 

*  Mr.  Bancroft's  letter  is  indeed  a  "  singular  one."  "Why  did  he  not  say 
plainly  that  he  knew  nothing  about  the  subject  to  which  Mr.  Crosby  and 
Dr.  Rockwell  referred  ?  Of  course  the  "  information"  of  which  he  speaks 
■was  "  open  to  all  the  world."  No  one  could  deny  that.  Very  diplomatic. 
"  I  am  very  sorry  to  be  wholly  unable  to  further  your  inquiries" — mor- 
ally unable.  Sir  Walter  Scott  said  on  one  occasion,  "  Upon  my  honor,  I 
am  not  the  author  of  '  "Waverley.'  "  And  yet  he  was.  Mr.  Bancroft  is 
more  modest  and  conscientious  than  Sir  Walter.  In  1885  Dr.  Draper,  of 
the  Wisconsin  Historical  Society,  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Bancroft,  in 
■which  he  asked  him  particularly  if  he  -was  acquainted  with  the  history  of 
Peter  S.  Ney.  Mr.  Bancroft  replied  :  "  I  regret  that  I  can  add  nothing  to 
your  present  stock  of  knowledge  on  the  points  to  ■which  you  direct  my 
attention."  This  letter  is  more  "  singular"  than  the  first.  Fortunately  1 
have  some  information  which  may  throw  a  good  deal  of  light  upon  Mr. 
Bancroft's  letters.  Dr.  Bingham,  of  Mocksville,  N.  C,  says  :  "  My  father, 
Lemuel  Bingham,  who  was  intimately  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney,  told 
me  that  he  once  read  a  letter  ■which  Mr.  Bancroft  had  written  to  Peter  S. 


176  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

here  when  teaching  ;  corresponded  with  the  National  Intelli- 
gencer at  Washington  ;  had  a  large  sum  of  money  to  his  credit 
in  the  old  United  States  Bank  ;  but  he  never  went  to  any  of 
the  large  cities.  He  could  not  bear  Murat  or  Grouchy  ; 
blamed  Najjoleon  for  the  Russian  campaign  and  for  repudiat- 
ing Josephine.  She  and  her  daughter  Hortense  were  great 
friends  of  his  wife.  His  wife,  he  said,  had  dark  eyes  and 
hair,  and  was  very  beautiful.  He  was  athletic,  with  great 
power  of  command,  great  fascination  and  discernment  of  char- 
acter. When  Louis  Philippe  in  1830  mounted  the  throne  of 
France,  he  came  near  cutting  his  throat.  His  friends  had  great 
difficulty  in  quieting  him.  They  had  a  worse  time  of  it  still 
when  young  Bonaparte  died  in  1832.  He  was  greatly  attached 
to  Mr.  Houston,  who  had  more  influence  over  him  than  any  one 
else.  The  manuscripts  which  P.  S,  Neysaid  contained  '  some- 
thing which  would  astonish  the  world  '  were  carried  off  by  Pliny 
Miles,  of  New  York,  under  the  plea  of  taking  them  to  Europe 
to  be  translated,  and  were  never  returned.  The  sten ography  was 
Key's  own  system,  and  his  pupils  here  alone  understood  it.  No 
doubt  Miles  was  employed  by  some  one  to  suppress  these  docu- 
ments. Mr.  Crosby  searched  and  found  wliei*e  he  had  lived,  but 
he  died,  and  left  nothing — no  property  or  manuscripts.*  Some 
time  after  Mr.  Ney  came  to  this  country  he  was  at  Darlington, 
S.  C,  at  a  hotel,  on  a  cold  day,  seated  by  the  fire,  partly  in- 
toxicated. A  stranger  was  present  who  had  travelled  exten- 
sively, and  told  the  company  some  things  he  had  seen.  He  had 
been  at  the  grave  of  Marshal  Ney.  Our  Mr.  Ney  roused  up 
and  said,  '  You  may  have  been  there,  but  Ney  was  not  there.' 
On  another  occasion  P.  S.  Ney  said  that  Ney's  bones  could 
not  be  found  on  the  soil  of  France,  I  have  heard  that  P.  S. 
Ney  broke  his  sword  when  young  Napoleon  died,  but  I  for- 
get the  name  of  my  informant.  It  was  also  reported  that 
some  of  his  letters  came  to  him  through  the  French  consul  at 


Ney,  in  which   he    spoke  gratefully  of  some  kindness  which  had   been 
shown  him  either  by  P.  S.  Ney  himself  or  by  his  family  in  France." 

*  Pliny  Miles  died  on  the  island  of  Malta  in  1865.  He  left  no  papers 
bearing  upon  the  Ney  controversy.  No  one  knows  what  became  of  the 
Ney  manuscript.     Dr.  Rockwell's  surmises  may  be  correct 


'^-yK^>SLjo^. 


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SYSTEM 


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NO.    3,    EXAMPLES  OF  T.  S.  KEY'S  HANDWRITING. 


'.Ca    ^7-  /^^^^^'^^     ^-^^-K^ 


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NO.   4.    EXAMPLES   OF   MA1?SIIAL  >'EY'S   HANDWRITING. 


WAS  MABSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED?  177 

Norfolk  or  some  other  influential  personage  at  Norfolk.  This 
is  a  mere  rumor,  so  far  as  I  know.  Mr.  Nej  is  the  author  of 
the  device  on  the  seal  of  Davidson  Colleire  :  a  man's  ris-ht 
hand  grasping  a  dagger,  with  the  point  downward,  piercing  a 
coiled  serpent  not  far  from  the  head.  The  hilt  of  the  weapon 
has  rising  from  it  a  star  or  flame  that  casts  rays  through  the 
surrounding  space.  This  is  encircled  by  two  rings,  between 
whicli  is  the  legend  in  Latin,  '  Alenda  lux  ubi  orta  est  lib- 
ertas '  (Light  must  be  sustained  where  liberty  arose),  alluding, 
we  suppose,  to  the  Mecklenburg  declaration  of  May  20th, 
17T5.  But  there  seems  to  be  an  incongruity  between  the 
radiation  of  liglit  and  the  handle  of  a  dagger.  It  seems  to 
have  been  customary  to  set  valuable  jewels  in  the  hilt  of  such 
weapons.  The  largest  diamond  known  is  called  Kohinoor,  or 
Mountains  of  Light,  is  rose  cut,  and  belongs  to  Queen  Victoria. 
The  second  or  third  in  size  is  called  the  Pitt  diamond.  It 
decorated  the  hilt  of  the  sword  of  state  of  the  first  Napoleon, 
was  taken  by  the  Prussians  at  "Waterloo,  and  now  belongs  to 
the  King  of  Prussia.*  We  infer,  then,  that  Mr.  Ney,  having 
been  familiar  with  the  sight  of  this  most  brilliant  gem  in  the 
hilt  of  Napoleon's  sword,  had  it  before  his  mind  when  he 
drew  the  device  for  the  seal  of  Davidson  College.  I  would 
like  to  have  the  opinion  of  some  military  men  about  the  idea 
of  originating  and  sustaining  light  from  the  hilt  of  a  sword." 
Rev.  J.  L.  Gay,  Fayette,  Mo.  (18S8)  :  "  In  1827  Peter  S. 
Ney  taught  school  in  Iredell  County,  about  twenty  miles  from 
Salisbury.  I  was  one  of  his  pupils,  and  I  remember  him  well. 
He  had  some  hair  at  the  back  and  on  each  side  of  his  head, 
which  was  of  a  reddish  or  sandy  color,  though  it  was  then 

*  It  is  now  owned  by  Sir  William  Fraser,  of  London.  It  has  "  jewels  set 
in  the  upper  part." 

After  Eylau,  Napoleon  attended  a  special  service  at  Notre  Dame  to  give 
thanks  for  his  victory,  etc.  Pasquier  ("  Memoirs")  says  :  "  A  sword  glit- 
tering with  precious  stones  was  at  his  side,  and  the  famous  diamond  called 
the  Regent  formed  its  pommel." 

There  are  two  or  three  statues  of  Napoleon  in  Paris  where  he  is  repre- 
sented as  grasping  with  his  right  hand  the  hilt  of  a  dagger  or  short 
(Roman)  sword.  The  weapon  is  held  in  a  perpendicular  position,  the  point 
being  downward. 


178         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

turning  gray.     His  lower  face  was  striking  :  the  heavy  jaws, 
the  firmly  set  month,  the  prominent  double  chin  gave  him  an 
air  of  the  most  determined  resolution.     He  did  not  look  like  a 
Frenchman  ;    had  a  Saxon  or  Scottish-Saxon  look.     Spoke 
English  well,  though  you  could  detect  a  foreign  accent.     Was 
fond  of  music  ;  had  concerts  in  his  school.     He  wore  a  long 
bluish-gray  broadcloth  surtout  cut  in  the  old-fashioned  transi- 
tion style  that  was  common  in  the  first  quarter  of  this  century. 
On  the  outside  of  this  coat  were  capacious  pockets  shielded 
with  large  flaps.     His  shoes  were  broad  of  sole,  buckled,  and 
always  neatly  polished.     There  were  no  lapels  to  his  coat,  and 
the  skirts  of  it  nearly  touched  his  feet.     His  fame  as  a  peda- 
gogue had  preceded  him.     He  had  taught  school  at  two  or 
three  places  in  North  Carolina  before  he  came  to  my  neigh- 
borhood.    Everywhere  we  heard  that  he  was  a  great  teacher. 
Althouo-h  I  had  earlier  teachers — two  or  three  for  short  terms 
— yet  P.  S.  Ney  was  the  first  who  really  taught  me  anything 
worth  knowing,  or  who  started  me  out  on  the  road  leading  to 
learning.     As  we  had  very  inferior  and  imperfect  maps,  and 
no  globes  for  teaching  geography,  I  remember  that  Mr.  Ney 
directed  me  to  bring  him  a  medium-sized  and  well-rounded 
pumpkin,  and  with  this  he  constructed  a  geographical  globe. 
He  marked  out  upon  the  ribs  of  it  the  lines  of  longitude  and 
transversely  those  of  latitude  and  other  lines — the  equatorial 
and  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  lines.     In  the  use  of  the  pen 
and  the  qualities  and  powers  of  numerals  he  was  equally  pains- 
taking.    He  was  a  dull  scholar  indeed,  or  a  perverse  one,  who 
did  not  learn  to  write  well  and  did  not  obtain  a  fair  insight 
into  the  wonderful  powers  of  numeral  figures.     And  I  grate- 
fully remember,  too,  his  sympathetic  interest  in  our  plays  and 
athletic  sports  ;  how  agile  he  was  at  an  age  (approaching  sixty) 
when  other  men  are  usually  oppressed  with  inertia.     He  was 
always  as  ready  to  help  his  pupils  in  their  hours  of  play  as  in 
those  of  their  study.     How  kind  and  gentle  he  was  !     I  de- 
light to  recall  him  as  he  then  appeared  at  our  school  and  in 
the  walks  and  playgrounds  around  it — tall,  erect,  but  slightly 
bending  under  the  weight  of  years,  broad-shouldered,  large- 
chested,  with  a  kindly  beaming  eye,  yet  blazing  up  instantly' 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  179 

when  anything  unusual  awoke  liim  from  liis  repose.  His 
whole  countenance  would  at  once  show  the  most  evident  marks 
of  his  emotion.  In  this  connection  I  recall  his  appearance  as 
we  were  marching  on  the  morning  of  our  school  exhibition  to 
the  place — the  wide  piazza  in  front  of  Mr.  Gracey's  house — 
where  we  were  to  speak  our  little  pieces  and  perform  our 
allotted  parts.  An  improvised  country  band  was  gotten  to- 
gether, and  were  playing  such  airs  as  they  were  equal  to. 
Simple  and  primitive  as  the  music  was,  it  had  an  almost  electric 
effect  npon  our  old  teacher,  for  he  straightened  himself  up  and 
instantly  caught  the  old  military  fire  and  manner  of  his  army 
life.  Everybody  noticed  it,  but  Mr.  Ney  said  nothing  about 
it.  At  that  performance  I  experienced  much  needed  encour- 
agement from  the  dear  old  man,  for,  like  most  boys,  it  was 
with  me  the  critical  moment  of  my  life.  With  glad  hearts 
we  were  released  from  school,  saddened  only  with  the  thought 
that  we  would  have  to  part  with  our  dear  old  master,  and 
probably  never  see  him  again.  One  day  at  school  one  of  the 
older  scholars  asked  him  if  he  were  related  to  Marshal  Ney,  as 
he  had  the  same  name.  '  Yes,'  he  replied,  with  some  show 
of  annoyance  at  the  question  or  the  questioner — '  yes,  some 
connection  ' — a  nephew  1  think  he  said — and  turned  away, 
and  so  abruptly  closed  the  subject.  This,  with  the  admission 
that  he  had  been  in  the  Napoleonic  wars  and  had  been  wound- 
ed in  some  battle  or  other,  was  all  that  we  could  get  out  of 
him.  It  beo;an  indeed  to  be  surmised  that  he  was  none  other 
than  Marshal  Key  himself  ;  but  it  was  only  an  idle  surmise, 
that,  like  thousands  of  others,  was  dropped,  and  so  passed  out 
of  our  minds," 

Rev.  R.  H.  Morrison,  D.D.,  formerly  President  of  David- 
son College,  North  Carolina,  Lowesville,  N.  C.  (1885):  "I 
knew  Peter  S.  Ney.  As  far  as  I  could  learn,  his  conduct  was 
upright  and  marked  by  propriety  except  when  drinking  to 
intemperance,  and  even  then  he  seemed  to  avoid  collision  with 
others.  There  were  some  points  in  his  behavior  so  different 
from  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  men  as  rendered  it  difficult  to 
account  for  them.  He  avoided  towns  and  cities  and  sought 
schools  in  the  country,  and  seemed  to  care  for  only  a  bare  sup- 


180         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXEGVTED  ? 

port,  when  lie  might,  from  his  talents  and  attainments,  have 
obtained  much  more  profitable  positions.  He  also  avoided 
efforts  to  gain  the  honors  and  distinctions  in  society  which 
learning  and  integrity  often  prompt  men  to  seek.  He  evi- 
dently had  strong  motives  to  avoid  notoriety.  He  taught 
school  in  my  neighborhood,  and  one  of  my  sons  went  to  school 
to  him.  He  was  a  fine  scholar  and  a  good  teacher.  He  some- 
times attended  my  preaching,  and  gave  the  most  respectful 
attention  to  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  as  a  courteous  gen- 
tleman always  does." 

Hon.  Yictor  0.  Barringer,  N.  C.  (188T)  :  "  When  I  saw 
him  [P.  S.  Ney]  he  was  always  duly  sober,  and  nobody  could 
be  more  silently  polite,  less  pretentious,  or  less  likely  to  excite 
remark  or  notice.  Pliny  Miles  told  me  he  had  found  a  treas- 
ure in  the  manuscript  shorthand  of  Ney,  which  he  admitted 
he  could  not  read  ;  but  he  was  sure  it  was  a  golden  egs,.^^ 

P.  H.  Cain,  Felix,  Davie  County,  N.  C.  (1886)  :  '"'  I  was  a 
pupil  of  P.  S.  Ney  in  1831.  He  was  the  grandest  of  men. 
Saw  him  in  the  latter  part  of  1832.     He  said,  '  By  Jove  !  oM 

boy,  I  came  near  killing  myself  since  I  saw  you.     The  d d 

rascals  have  poisoned  young  Napoleon,  and  my  hopes  of  re- 
turning to  France  are  forever  blasted. '  He  then  spoke  of  his 
wife  and  children  ;  said  he  once  knew  what  happiness  was, 
but  that  he  should  never  see  his  family  again  ;  spoke  of  his 
wife  with  a  good  deal  of  emotion  ;  had  soldiers  shot  for  insult- 
ing or  outraging  ladies  ;  gave  me  and  another  student  lessons 
in  loading  and  shooting — shot  some  himself  at  our  target  prac- 
tice ;  said  he  and  Napoleon's  brother-in-law  were  equally 
matched  in  fencing — frequently  up  till  ten  o'clock  at  night  ; 
that  Napoleon  made  them  quit,  saying  something  serious 
might  result  from  it  ;  said  to  me  and  another  student  at  our 
target  practice  that  if  we  should  ever  go  into  the  artillery  ser- 
vice to  keep  well  behind  our  guns  when  firing.  He  believed 
in  early  marriages  ;  said  young  people  as  a  rule  ought  to  get 
married  when  they  are  twenty-one  years  old,  but  not  before. 
In  1832  Mr.  Ney  appeared  to  be  sixty-five  or  seventy  years 
old." 

Colonel  C.  C.  Graham,  Memphis,  Tenn.   (1885)  :   "  I  saw 


WAS  MAB8HAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  181 

P.  S.  Ney  sometimes  at  county  mnsters.  When  slightly  in- 
toxicated he  could  handle  a  company  or  battahon  with  great 
skill,  showing  a  fine  knowledge  of  military  tactics. ' ' 

J.  H.  Ennis,  editor  JS^orth  Carolina  Farmer,  Raleigh, 
N.  C.  (October,  18ST)  :  "  I  knew  P.  S.  Ney  in  Salisbury, 
N.  C.  I  have  often  talked  with  him.  He  was  a  man  of  rare 
intelligence  ;  could  talk  well  on  almost  any  subject.  A  man 
of  fine  common  sense.  Took  a  practical  view  of  things. 
Would  drink  too  much  sometimes,  but  was  never  quarrelsome, 
though  very  talkative.  Appeared  to  have  some  great  trouble 
on  his  mind  and  trying  to  get  rid  of  it  or  to  avoid  thinking  of 
it.  He  appeared  to  be  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Eyes  rather 
large  and  extraordinarily  searching.  Chin  very  prominent, 
square  and  curved  or  stuck  up  at  the  end.  Nose  a  httle 
hooked  at  the  end  ;  wings  of  his  nose  very  broad  and  full. 
Lips  compressed,  not  sensual-looking.  Rather  duck-legged, 
though  his  legs  were  well  suited  to  his  body.  He  was  at  all 
times  polite  and  gentlemanly  ;  there  was  no  letting  down  in 
his  demeanor.     He  was  highly  respected  by  everybody.' ' 

Dr.  John  A.  Allison,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (1S87)  :  "I  was 
well  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  taught  school  near 
the  residence  of  my  father,  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Allison,  some 
three  or  four  years,  and  I  was  his  pupil  the  greater  part  of  the 
time.  He  boarded  at  my  father's  house,  or,  rather,  he  was 
an  honored  guest,  for  my  father  and  mother  thought  so  much 
of  him  that  they  would  never  look  upon  him  as  a  boarder. 
Mr.  Key  was  about  five  feet  eleven  inches  in  height.  He 
was  broad  and  fall  all  the  way  from  the  hips  up,  yet  exceed- 
ingly well  proportioned.  He  had  a  fine  head,  large  and  round- 
ish, rather  long  from  forehead  to  back.  Forehead  large  and 
full,  especially  near  the  eyes.  Perceptive  faculties  unusually 
well  developed.  He  had  a  magnetic  eye.  He  could  just 
make  you  love  him  and  fear  him  and  obey  \\nn  too.  Nose 
large,  particularly  at  the  base,  and  slightly  turned  up  at  the 
end.  Lips  medium — my  impression  is  they  were  rather  thin. 
Considerable  distance  between  his  nose  and  upper  lip.  Was 
very  neat  in  his  person  and  dress.  A  fine  horseback-rider, 
though  he  seldom  rode  a  horse.     We  had  a  fiery,  vicious 


182         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

horse  that  no  one  seemed  to  be  able  to  ride.  Mr.  Ney  mount- 
ed liim  one  day  and  rode  bim  with  the  utmost  ease.  Every- 
body was  astonished  at  his  horsemansliip.  A  splendid  marks- 
man. He  sometimes  went  out  hunting  with  me.  I  never  saw 
him  miss  a  squirrel.  He  would  hit  him  every  time.  Every 
pupil  who  studied  hard  was  a  favorite  of  Mr.  Ney,  but  the 
bad,  idle  boys  were  pretty  severely  dealt  with.  Still,  they  all 
loved  their  teacher.  The  best  fencer,  perhaps,  in  the  whole 
country.  His  skill  was  perfectly  marvellous.  I  have  seen 
splendid  swordsmen  stand  in  front  of  him  and  try  to  hit  him, 
but  they  couldn't  touch  him.  He  would  play  with  them  as  if 
they  were  little  babies.  When  he  became  tired  of  the  fun  he 
would  tap  them  on  the  side  of  the  head  and  say  it  was  time  to 
stop.  One  day  near  the  barn  he  picked  up  two  large  corn- 
stalks, and  handing  one  to  me,  said,  '  Now  we'll  fence  a  ht- 
tle.'  We  went  at  it,  but  it  so  happened  that  his  corn-stalk 
broke  all  to  pieces  ;  then  I  managed  to  hit  him  a  pretty  good 
lick,  but  I  was  badly  frightened.  I  thought  he  would  get 
mad  but  he  didn't.  He  patted  me  on  the  head  and  said  it 
was  all  right.  One  day,  in  the  winter  of  1840  or  1841,  Mr. 
Key  went  to  Statesville  and  stayed  away  three  or  four  days. 
He  seldom  went  to  town,  and  we  were  uneasy  about  him. 
He  finally  came  back  intoxicated,  and  told  my  mother  that  he 
had  been  with  his  son  in  Statesville.  Upon  inquiry  we  found 
that  a  young  man,  evidently  a  foreigner,  well  dressed  and  of 
good  appearance,  had  been  in  Statesville  for  some  days  past, 
and  that  he  and  Mr.  Ney  had  been  constant  companions.  The 
young  man  was  very  quiet  and  reserved,  and  did  not  tell  any 
one  who  he  was  or  what  was  his  business.  Mr.  Ney  kept  per- 
fectly sober  while  the  man  was  with  him,  but  as  soon  as  he 
left  he  got  drunk.  He  went  home,  burned  up  some  papers, 
and  was  greatly  depressed  for  several  days.  Mr.  Ney  had  an 
old  hair  trunk,  in  which  he  kept  his  papers  written  in  short- 
hand, paintings,  drawings,  etc.  I  used  to  get  a  glance  at  them 
sometimes,  though  he  always  kept  his  trunk  locked.  He  had 
another  trunk  which  contained  his  clothing,  etc.  He  was  not 
so  particular  about  this  one.  My  father  thought  Ney  had  a 
sword  in  his  hair  trunk.     I  heard  Milus  Bailey  say  that  Mr. 


WAS  MARSHAL  I\'EY  EXECUTED  ?  183 

Ney  told  liim  some  time  in  the  thirties  that  he  was  Marshal 
Ney.  Bailey  had  somewhere  procured  a  picture  of  Joey's 
execution.  He  showed  it  to  Mr.  Ney.  Mr.  Ney  said,  '  That 
is  not  correct.  The  positions  are  wrong,  etc.*  Some  day  I'll 
draw  it  for  you.  Ney  was  not  shot.  I  felt  safe  as  soon  as  I 
knew  that  the  old  soldiers  composed  the  firing  party.'  I 
knew  Barr,  the  German,  who  recognized  Mr.  Ney  as  Marshal 
N^ey  at  a  public  gathering  not  far  from  Statesville.f  Barr 
was  an  old  soldier,  covered  with  wounds,  and  would  fight  in  a 
minute  if  any  one  doubted  his  word.  He  was  a  thoroughly 
reliable  man,  a  real  stanch,  honest  old  fellow.  Mr.  Ney 
walked  rather  quickly,  but  with  firm  military  tread  ;  he  in- 
fused into  his  pupils  a  military  spirit  ;  said  it  would  not  hurt 
them,  and  might  be  of  great  benefit  to  them  in  after  life.  He 
had  his  bywords,  such  as  '  By  Jove  ! '  '  Dash  your  skin  of 
you  ! '  sometimes  '  God  dash  your  skin  of  you  ! '  He  did  very 
little  square  cursing,  only  when  he  got  mad.  Ho  was  very 
particular  with  his  boys  in  this  respect.  In  combing  his  hair 
he  always  turned  it  up  over  his  ears  and  the  top  of  his  head.  He 
had  a  wound  on  the  left  side  of  his  head,  made,  I  suppose,  by 
a  sabre  stroke  ;  also  one  in  his  foot.  He  said  to  me  one  day, 
'  I  was  in  a  tight  place  when  I  got  that  wound  in  my  foot. ' 
He  made  a  great  point  of  promptness  and  punctuality  at  home 
and  in  the  school-room.  Xever  late  at  breakfast  ;  a  very  early 
riser,  though  he  sat  up  late  at  night  reading  and  writing.  His 
mind  was  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam.  He  could  explain  a  subject 
better  than  any  man  I  ever  knew.  He  was  very  useful  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  wrote  deeds,  wills,  and  other  documents 
for  the  neighbors,  told  them  how  to  doctor  their  horses,  how 
to  build  bridges,  dykes,  embankments,  flood-gates,  etc.  With- 
out doubt  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  men  that  have  ever  lived 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  My  father  was  firmly  convinced 
that  he  was  Marshal  Ney,  and  so  were  the  most  intelligent 
people  of  this  section." 

Wilham  M.  Haynes,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  (1SS7)  :  "I  went  to 

*  This  is  no  doiibt  true.     The  common  representations  of  Ney's  execu- 
tion (see  Abbott's  "  Napoleon")  are  notoriously  inaccurate, 
f  See  testimony  of  Mr.  William  Sidney  Stevenson. 


184         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

school  to  P.  S.  Nej  when  he  taught  at  Colonel  Allison's,  not 
far  from  Statesville.  I  was  but  a  boy  at  the  time,  but  he 
made  a  lasting  impression  on  my  mind.  When  under  the 
influence  of  strong  drink  he  was  perfectly  harmless  and  very 
liberal.  He  would  thrust  his  hand  in  his  large  vest-pocket 
and  take  out  a  handful  of  small  silver  coin  and  scatter  it  broad- 
cast before  the  boys.  It  greatly  amused  him  to  see  them 
scramble  after  it,  I  never  heard  him  use  profane  or  indecent 
language.  When  sober  he  would  not  refer  to  his  past  life  (except 
in  some  of  his  poetry),  but  would  occasionally  speak  about  it 
when  partially  intoxicated.  When  not  especially  engaged  in 
school  duties  he  seemed  to  be  engrossed  in  deep  thought." 

W.  H.  Trott,  I^ewton,  N".  C.  (1890)  :  "  I  went  to  school 
to  P.  S.  Ney.  He  walked  quickly,  and  took  tolerably  short 
steps.  High,  full  forehead,  especially  near  the  eyes.  Eye- 
brows beetling,  so  heavy  and  projecting  as  partly  to  hide  his 
eyes  when  he  looked  at  you.  Eyes  keen  beyond  description. 
Very  strict  as  a  teacher,  but  good-natured  and  obliging.  Con- 
ducted his  school  in  a  sort  of  military  style.  Everybody  had 
to  toe  the  mark.  Sometimes  called  the  boys  pet  names — 
called  Fred  Leinster  Duke  or  Dunk."^  He  looked  somewhat 
like  Judge  Armfield,t  though  Armfield  would  run  quicker 
than  Ney.  Armfield  is  a  brave  man  and  wouldn't  run,  but 
he  would  run  quicker  than  Ney.  o^ey  was  a  perfect  bull-dog 
— never  let  go  his  hold.  Ruled  everybody.  I  never  saw  any 
one  like  him." 

Mrs.  Hall,  Newton,  K.  C.  (December,  1891)  :  "  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  was  a  very  large  man, 
weighing,  I  suppose,  about  two  hundred  pounds.  His  eyes 
were  keen  and  sparkling.  His  nose  was  broad  at  the  base 
and  slightly  turned  up,  or  appeared  to  be  so.  He  was  very 
kind-hearted.     He  once  gave  me  a  pair  of  fine  gloves,  and 

*  See  testimony  of  Frederick  Leinster. 

f  Hon.  R.  F.  Armfield,  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  Statesville,  N.  C. 
Judge  Armfield  is  a  large  man,  of  fine  presence,  great  force  of  character, 
and  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  United  States.  Mrs.  Dalton  thinks 
P.  S.  Ney  looked  a  little  like  Judge  Armfield.  So  does  Mr.  William  Sid- 
ney Stevenson. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  185 

would  have  given  me  a  more  costly  present  if  I  had  consented 
to  accept  it.  One  day  he  went  with  a  party  of  girls  to  hunt 
strawberries.  He  would  pick  a  handful  with  great  care,  and 
then  go  and  put  them  in  the  basket.  He  was  very  fond  of 
children,  and  they  all  loved  him.  1  once  heard  Mr.  Ney  say 
that  some  of  Napoleon's  officers  who  were  condemned  to  be 
shot  escaped  by  putting  on  their  wives'  dresses,"^  but  that  he 
could  not  escape  in  that  way,  because  his  wife  was  a  small  wom- 
anf  and  he  was  a  large  man.  He  possessed  great  force  of 
character,  and  no  man  stood  higher  in  the  community  in 
which  he  lived." 

Wilfred  Turner,  Turnersburg,  Iredell  County,  N.  C.  (1883)  : 
"  I  was  a  pupil  of  F.  S.  Ney  in  1825  and  1820,  and  saw 
him  afterward  from  time  to  time  until  his  death  in  1846. 
In  1825  his  hair  was  getting  gray,  though  you  could  easily 
see  that  it  was  originally  of  an  auburn  or  reddish-sandy 
color.  His  head  was  bald  on  top,  and  his  face  appeared 
to  be  marked  from  the  small-pox.  No  pupil,  however  dull, 
could  fail  to  learn  something  from  him — more,  doubtless,  than 
he  could  have  learned  from  any  other  teacher.  He  applied 
the  hickory  freely  to  bad  boys,  especially  to  the  big  bad  boys, 
but  he  was  very  indulgent  to  the  smaller  children,  and  to  all, 
indeed,  who  were  obedient  and  showed  a  disposition  to  study. 
He  had  a  quick  temper,  but  never  did  any  one  an  intentional 
wrong.  He  was  too  noble  for  that.  If  he  found  out  that 
he  had  wounded  any  person's  feelings,  he  would  seek  him  out 
and  apologize.     He  did  much  good  in  our  community." 

Frederick  Leinster,  Statcsville,  IST.  C.  (188-1)  :  "  I  went  to 
school  to  Feter  S.  !N"ey  in  1846.  He  used  to  call  me  duhe, 
because  my  name  was  Leinster  ;  said  he  knew  the  Duke  of 
Leinster,  and  didn't  like  him  ;  once  had  a  difficulty  with 
him.  It  seems  to  me  he  said  the  Duke  of  Leinster  save  him 
that  cut  on  the  head.  I  know  he  said  he  didn't  like  him,  and 
that  there  had  been  some  trouble  between  them.  He  used  to 
pet  me  at  times.     We  boarded  at  the  same  house.     One  of  his 

*  Notably  Lavalette.     He  probably  meant  him. 

f  "  Madame  Ney  was  tall  and  slight."— "  Memoirs  of  Madame  de 
Remusat. 


186         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

scholars  had  been  to  school  to  Bishop  Ives,  at  Valle  Crucis, 
and  was  very  much  stuck  up — thought  he  knew  about  as  much 
jis  Mr.  Ney.  One  day,  in  reciting  his  Latin  lesson,  Mr.  Ney 
stopped  him  and  said,  '  That  translation  is  not  correct.' 
'Well,'  said  the  boy  impatiently,  'that  is  the  way  they 
taught  me  at  Valle  Crucis. '  '  Did  they  ? '  said  Mr.  Ney  ; 
'  we  want  no  dog  Latin  here.'  He  then  gave  the  boy  a  few 
good  raps  with  his  hickory  switch.  "We  heard  no  more  of 
Yalle  Crucis." 

Joseph  Barber,  Cleveland,  IST.  C.  (1887)  :  "  I  was  a  pupil  of 
P.  S.  ISTey.  He  carried  on  his  school  in  military  style.  Made 
his  pupils,  when  spelling,  stand  with  their  feet  together,  toes 
turned  out,  hands  down,  perfectly  erect.  On  one  occasion  I 
was  a  little  perverse — I  stood  with  my  feet  a  considerable  dis- 
tance apart.  Mr.  Key  came  along  and  put  his  big  foot  on 
mine  and  mashed  it  pretty  hard.  I  did  not  forget  the  lesson. 
His  scholars  thought  he  was  the  greatest  man  on  earth.  My 
sister  fairly  worshipped  him." 

Joseph  McKnight,  Hickory,  N.  C.  (1886)  :  "  I  have  often 
seen  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  looked  hke  a  soldier,  and  seemed  born 
to  command.  He  had  a  deep,  powerful  voice,  which  carried 
much  force  with  it.  Large  ears,  stood  off  somewhat  from  his 
head.  His  head  was  tremendous,  but  it  just  suited  his  body. 
Rather  fat  underneath  the  chin,  which  was  very  large.  He 
kept  the  strictest  order  in  his  school.  Sometimes  the  parents 
of  his  pupils  would  visit  him,  but  if  they  began  to  talk  or 
whisper  in  ever  so  low  a  tone  he  would  check  them,  it  mat- 
tered not  who  they  were.  Discipline,  he  said,  had  to  be 
maintained." 

Mr.  James  Andrews,  Houstonville,  Iredell  County,  N.  C. 
(1883)  :  "  I  knew  P.  S.  Ney  for  many  years.  I  owned  a  mill 
not  far  from  the  place  where  he  boarded  when  he  taught 
school  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  he  used  often  to  come 
to  the  mill  as  well  as  to  my  house  and  have  pleasant  and 
familiar  talks  with  me.  One  day,  in  my  mill,  he  took  up  a 
handful  of  wheat  out  of  a  hogshead  which  contained  two  or 
three  bushels  of  the  grain,  and  turning  to  me,  said,  '  Jeemes, 
if  a  man  had  had  this  much  wheat  in  the  Russian  campaign, 


VfAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  187 

it  would  have  been  worth  a  fortune  to  him.  Men  were  starv- 
ing on  every  hand,  and  those  that  were  able  would  mortgage 
whole  estates  and  give  everything  they  had  for  a  loaf  of  bread. ' 
He  has  told  me  a  great  deal  about  his  army  life,  but  I  cannot 
remember  all  that  he  said.  He  spoke  of  the  great  sufferings 
which  his  men  endured,  and  that  seemed  to  hurt  him  more 
than  anything  else.  He  said  that  in  crossing  a  certain  river — 
1  forget  the  name  * — so  many  men  were  killed  or  wounded 
or  drowned  that  they  almost  formed  a  bridge  over  which  the 
others  could  walk.  He  blamed  Napoleon  for  dividing  his 
army,  wlien  the  retreat  began,  into  so  many  separate  columns, 
with  two  or  three  days'  march  between  them.  He  said  that 
it  was  perfectly  ruinous  ;  that  the  whole  army  ought  to  have 
retreated  in  one  compact  body,  and  to  have  fought  its  way 
directly  through.  He  said  that  in  doing  so  the  army  would 
have  encountered  many  difficulties,  but  that  there  were  many 
more  difficulties  in  the  other  plan  of  marching  in  separate  col- 
umns. He  said  that  he  put  the  stragglers  and  disbanded  men 
between  his  main  body  and  the  Russians,  so  that  the  Russians 
might  fall  on  them  first,  f  It  was  a  desperate  measure,  he 
said,  but  he  had  to  do  it,  sometimes  at  the  point  of  the  bayo- 
net. A  Russian  woman  and  her  daughter  came  to  him  one 
day  and  swore  that  one  of  his  officers  had  committed  rape 
upon  the  daughter  the  night  before.  The  officer  was  tried 
and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  He  afterward  found  out  that  the 
accusation  was  false  ;  that  it  was  gotten  up  by  a  man  who 
wanted  the  officer's  place,  and  he  had  him  court-martialed  and 
shot.     Discipline,  he  said,  had  to  be  preserved.     In  speaking 

*  The  Beresina,  I  suppose — hardly  the  Dnieper. 

f  "  The  enemy  opened  upon  them  with  the  whole  of  his  artillery.  The 
disarmed  stragglers,  of  whom  there  were  still  between  three  and  four  thou- 
sand, took  the  alarm.  This  disorderly  multitude  wandered  to  and  fro, 
running  aboiit  in  utter  uncertainty,  and  attempted  to  throw  themselves 
into  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers,  who  drove  them  back.  Ney  contrived  to 
keep  them  between  him  and  tJie  Russians,  whose  fire  was  principally  ab- 
sorbed by  these  useless  beings.  While  the  marshal  was  making  a  rampart 
of  these  poor  wretches  to  cover  his  right  flank,  he  regained  the  banks  of 
the  Dnieper,  and  by  that  means  was  enabled  to  cover  his  left  flank. " — 
Segur,  "Napoleon's  Expedition  to  Russia," 


188  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

of  the  scarcity  of  food,  he  told  me  one  day  that  even  before 
the  retreat  began  many  of  the  soldiers  had  nothing  to  eat  but 
a  little  parched  wheat.  He  told  me  more  than  once,  when  he 
had  not  tasted  a  drop  of  strong  drink,  that  he  was  Marshal 
Ney,  and  how  he  escaped  ;  how  the  soldiers  fired  as  he  gave 
the  command  ;  how  the  balls  passed  over  him  ;  how  he  was 
taken  up  and  secretly  conveyed  to  some  point  on  the  coast, 
where  he  took  passage  for  America.  I  well  remember  the 
sabre  cut  on  his  head.  He  told  me,  I  think,  that  he  received 
it  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  in  the  last  charge  of  the  Old 
Guard.  The  man  who  wounded  him  was  cut  down  by  one  of 
his  aids.  He  saw  Lord  Wellington  and  his  staff  with  his  spy- 
glass. He  was  so  badly  hurt  that  he  was  left  behind— couldn't 
keep  up  with  the  army  in  its  retreat.*  It  always  gave  him 
pain  to  speak  of  Napoleon's  defeat  at  Waterloo.  It  was  like 
drawing  a  rasp  over  a  saw.  He  had  wounds,  it  seemed  to  me, 
all  over  his  body.  There  were  prints  of  horses'  hoofs  on  his 
legs  and  breast.  He  had  a  wound  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his 
arm  above  the  elbow.  He  told  me  that  the  surgeon,  Larrey, 
put  salt  in  it.  He  said  that  he  asked  him  if  that  was  all  he 
was  going  to  do  to  the  wound.  '  Yes,'  replied  the  surgeon, 
'  I  treated  the  emperor  so. '  f  Mr.  Ney  was  a  great  teacher. 
His  pupils  were  devoted  to  him,  though  he  was  strict  with 
them,  and  they  advanced  rapidly  in  all  their  studies.  He 
taught  them  to  be  obedient  to  their  parents,  and  honest  and 
true  and  merciful  in  their  dealings  with  their  fellow-men. 
He  made  an  impression  upon  them  which  remained  through- 
out life.  He  was  a  man  of  feeling  heart.  He  did  a  great 
deal  for  the  poor,  especially  the  poor  children  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  taught  many  of  them  from  year  to  year  without 
charging  a  cent  for  their  tuition.     His  salary  was  small.     He 

*  See  Key's  letter  to  Fouclie,  Duke  of  Otranto. 

f  "  I  asked  Napoleon  if  lie  had  not  been  frequently  slightly  wounded. 
He  replied,  '  Several  times.  ...  At  Marengo  a  cannon  shot  took  away 
a  piece  of  the  boot  of  my  left  leg  and  a  little  of  the  skin,'  said  he,  show- 
ing the  mark  to  me,  '  but  I  used  no  other  application  to  it  than  a  piece  of 
linen  dipped  in  salt  and  water.'  "— O'Meara's  "  Napoleon  in  Exile." 

"  In  treating  General  Gammas,  I  applied  over  the  whole  wound  linen 
dipped  in  salt  water." — Larrey. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  1  189 

tauglit  for  $200  a  year  and  liis  board.  He  had  a  good  deal  of 
fun  and  humor  about  him,  loved  a  joke,  and  would  sometimes 
take  out  of  his  pocket  a  handful  of  small  change  and  scatter  it 
over  the  grass  to  see  the  boys  scramble  for  it.  It  appeared  to 
amuse  him  very  much.  He  told  me  that  he  could  speak  the 
English  language  when  he  came  to  this  country  ;  that  his 
mother  was  a  Scotchwoman,  and  taught  it  to  him  in  his  youth. 
I  think  he  said,  though  I  am  not  certain,  that  his  father  went 
to  Scotland  to  escape  persecution,  and  there  married  a  Scotch- 
woman who  was  related  to  a  Presbyterian  clergyman.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Stuart,  or  she  was  related  to  some  family  of 
that  name.  He  dearly  loved  his  wife  and  children,  though  I 
do  not  think  he  gave  me  their  names.  He  spoke  of  them 
often,  and  said  it  was  sweet  to  think  that  some  day  he  should 
see  them  again  and  die  among  his  own  people.  After  the 
death  of  Napoleon's  son  he  gave  up  all  hope  of  going  back  to 
France.  I  felt  very  sorry  for  him,  for  I  never  saw  any  one 
grieve  so  much.  I  do  not  think  he  ever  got  over  it.  He  told 
me  that  if  it  were  known  in  France  that  he  was  living  in  the 
United  States,  his  friends  in  France,  who  aided  in  his  escape, 
would  suffer  severely,  and  that  his  own  life  would  be  in  dan- 
ger, for  his  enemies  would  not  hesitate  to  hire  some  one  to 
come  over  and  assassinate  him.  In  teaching,  he  would  not 
allow  his  pupils  to  undertake  more  than  they  could  do.  He 
said  it  was  better  to  know  a  little  well  than  to  have  a  smatter- 
ing of  a  great  deal.  I  remember  two  of  his  bywords  :  '  By 
Jove  ! '  and  '  By  the  powers  !  '  He  taught  school  in  several 
places  in  this  part  of  the  country.  I  don't  think  he  wished 
to  remain  permanently  in  any  one  place.  He  was  braver  than 
Juliiis  Caesar  or  anybody  else,  in  my  opinion  ;  but  1  think  he 
had  good  reasons  for  changing  about  as  he  did.  Mr.  Ney  was 
not  a  religious  man,  though  he  was  a  firm  behever  in  the 
Bible.  Not  long  before  he  died  he  said  to  me,  '  Jeemes,  hold 
on  to  your  religion.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have.  Don't  let  it 
go.'  I  loved  Mr.  Ney.  Indeed,  I  feel  that  it  is  the  greatest 
privilege  and  honor  of  my  life  to  have  known  such  a  man." 

Matthew  Brandon,  Elmwood,  N.  C.  (1887)  :  "  I  was  well 
acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.     Saw  him  often  at  the  mineral 


190  WAS  MARSHAL  IlEY  EXECUTED  ? 

springs,  in  Lincoln  County,  N.  C,  in  1842.     1  was  with  him 
almost  every  day  for  two  or  three  months,  and  I  can  truly  say 
that  I  never  knew  a  man  with  a  sounder,  stronger  mind,  or  a 
kinder  heart.     He  seemed  to  take  a  liking  to  me,  and  we 
often  had  long  talks  in  his  room.     He  read  a  great  deal  ;  had 
several  books  in  his  room.     He  had  one  book,  a  good-sized 
volume,  on  Napoleon  and  his  wars,  which  he  generally  kept 
locked  up  in  his  trunk.     I  forget  the  name  of  this  book,  but 
it  was  full  of  criticisms  or  notes  in  his  own  handwriting.     He 
allowed  me  to  look  through  the  book  on  several  occasions,  but 
would  not  let  me  carry  it  out  of  his  room.     The  book  con- 
tained an  account  of  the  execution  of  Marshal  l^ey.     Just  op- 
posite this  account,  on  the  margin  of  the  book,  was  written, 
'  Ney  was  not  shot. '     There  was  no  other  comment.     He  was 
reticent  about  his  history,  and  I  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  ask 
him  any  questions.     He  didn't  court  company  ;  stayed  much 
in  his  room,  though  he  was  polite  and  affable  to  all  who  ap- 
proached him.     He  was  wrinkled,  and  looked  sunburned  and 
weatherbeaten.     In  his  notes  on  Waterloo  he  called  Grouchy 
a  '  traitor. '     He   couldn't   get  over   his  failure  to  come  to 
Waterloo.     He  corrected  some  mistakes  of  history,  and  ex- 
plained certain  points  which  the  writer  did  not  seem  to  under- 
stand or  failed  to  make  clear.     '  If  Grouchy  had  come  up,' 
he  said  one  day,  '  Wellington  would  have  been  swept  away.' 
Often  alluded  to  Grouchy  ;  had  no  fancy  for  him  ;  he  didn't 
obey  orders.     It  always  excited  him  to  talk  about  the  battle 
of  Waterloo.     I  never  saw  him  under  the  influence  of  strong 
drink.     It  was  said  that  he  would  sometimes  get  drunk,  but 
I  certainly  never  saw  him  in  that  condition,  though,  as  I  have 
said,  I  was  with  him  almost  every  day  for  two  or  three  months. 
His  head  was  always  clear  when  I  saw  him.     My  wife  was 
very  fond  of  him,  and  showed  him  much  attention.     He  was 
very  grateful  for  her  kindness.     He  was  quite  a  lion  at  the 
springs.     Much  consideration  was  shown  him  by  every  one." 
General  John  A.  Young,  Charlotte,  N.  C.  (1885)  :  "  I  was 
well  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney  ;  was  his  pupil  when  he 
taught  in  Iredell  County,  near  the  residence  of  Colonel  Placebo 
Houston.     He  was  a  man  of  marvellous  strength  and  vigor, 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  191 

both  of  bodj  and  mind.     He  never  seemed  to  need  any  recrea- 
tion or  rest,  was  little  affected  either  by  heat  or  cold,  slept  lit- 
tle (only  about  four  or  five  hours  during  the  night),  and  was 
always  ready  and  in  good  condition  for  work.     His  eyes  were 
different  from  any  that  I  ever  saw.     When  he  was  in  a  good 
humor  they  were  very  soft  and  gentle,  but  when  he  became 
angry  or  excited  they  would  change  almost  with  the  rapidity 
of  lightning — and  indeed  they  looked  like  lightning.     At  such 
times  few  men  could  look  at  him  with  composure.     You  felt 
that  he  was  entire  master  of  the  situation.     His  lips  were  not 
thin,  though  they  came  firmly  together  ;  nose  and  head  large  ; 
his  hair  was  turning  gray  when  I  first  saw  him.     It  must  have 
been  originally  sandy  or  auburn.     He  had  a  florid  complexion, 
and  his  face  was  marked  with  the  small-pox.     As  a  teacher  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  I  have  never  seen  his  equal.     He 
would  explain  any  question  in  snch  a  way  that  no  pupil,  not 
even  the  dullest,  could  fail  to  understand  it.     Those  who  were 
disposed  to  be  idle  were  properly  punished.     He  made  them 
study.     He  especially  insisted  upon  three  things— punctuahty, 
good  lessons,  and  obedience.     If  a  pupil  were  punctual,  and 
recited  good  lessons  and  obeyed  him,  he  would  grant  him 
almost  any  favor.     He  would  allow  no  pupil  to  impose  upon 
or  in  any  way  to  be  unkind  to  another.     I  remember  an  inci- 
dent which  will  illustrate  my  meaning.     One  of  the  larger 
boys  was  deeply  in  love  with  a  beautiful  young  lady  in  the 
neighborhood.     The  lady  in  question  was  not  disposed  to  favor 
his  suit,  and  the  young  man  was  greatly  dejected.     The  boys 
laughed  at  him  a  good  deal,  and  Mr.  Ney  himself  one  day  teased 
him  a  little  about  it ;  but  seeing  that  the  young  fellow  was  hurt 
by  his  bantering,  quickly  desisted.     In  a  little  while  the  boys 
went  out  into  the  grove  to  play.     They  formed  a  circle  about 
the  disconsolate  lover,  and  began  to  jeer  him  worse  than  ever. 
Mr.  Ney  saw  us,  and  came  out  quickly  to  the  playground.     I 
can  see  him  now,  erect,  dignified,  his  hands  crossed  behind  him 
under  his  long  blue  broadcloth  coat,  his  eyes  sparkling,  with 
a  grave  and  determined  face,  as  fine  a  specimen  of  genuine 
manhood  as  any  one  ever  beheld.     '  Boys,'  said  he,  '  you  must 
stop  this.     It  isn't  just  ;  it  isn't  manly  ;  it  isn't  kind  to  tease 


192  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

Yoiir  playfellow  in  tliis  way.  You  must  stop  it  instantly  and 
forever. '  It  is  needless  to  add  that  lie  was  obeyed.  Although 
he  drank  intoxicating  liquors,  and  sometimes  to  excess,  it 
never  seemed  to  have  any  bad  effect  upon  his  boys,  or,  1  may 
say,  upon  the  people  generally.  He  was  so  good  and  noble 
in  every  other  respect  that  they  were  willing  to  pardon  this 
infirmity.  He  taught  hundreds  of  boys  during  his  stay  in 
North  Carolina  ;  and  I  will  venture  to  say  (for  I  do  not  speak 
without  some  knowledge  of  the  subject)  that  you  will  find 
few,  very  few  among  them  who  became  drunkards,  or  who 
ever  in  any  way  dishonored  their  teacher.  He  left  an  indeli- 
ble impression  for  good  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all  his 
pupils.  He  was  a  man  of  most  capacious  intellect.  He 
seemed  to  be  familiar  with  almost  every  branch  of  learning. 
He  was  a  fine  linguist,  but  he  was  especially  expert  in  mathe- 
matics. It  took  him  but  a  few  moments  to  see  through  and 
make  plain  to  others  the  most  intricate  problems  presented  to 
him.  He  always  looked  at  everything  in  a  practical,  matter- 
of-fact  light.  He  said  that  if  a  man  did  not  have  common 
sense,  no  mere  knowledge  of  books  would  amount  to  any- 
thing. He  could  handle  the  sword  with  incredible  skill.  In 
the  opinion  of  the  best  professional  fencers,  no  one  in  this 
country  could  begin  to  equal  him.  Mr.  ]^ey  had  an  exceed- 
ingly kind  heart.  Indeed,  he  was  so  sympathetic  that  he 
would  sometimes  be  imposed  upon,  and  his  charities  would  be 
imprudently  bestowed.  Bat  he  didn't  care.  He  said  it  was 
better  to  do  too  much  in  that  direction  than  to  do  too  little. 
I  must  say  that,  in  my  opinion,  a  truer,  gentler  heart  never 
beat  in  the  breast  of  man." 

David  Gaither,  Newton,  K  C.  (1886)  :  "  I  was  a  pupil  of 
P.  S.  Ney,  I  think  in  the  year  1830.  No  one  who  knew  him 
can  possibly  forget  him.  Quick-tempered,  cross  at  times,  but 
generally  good-natured  ;  always  just.  His  head  was  full  of 
thought.  A  great  Whig — didn't  like  the  Democrats.  Some- 
times attended  Whig  club  meetings  and  made  short  speeches  ; 
but  he  wasn't  much  of  a  success  as  a  public  speaker.*     Still, 

*  "  I  am  no  speech-maker." — Marshal  Ney  on  his  trial. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  193 

what  lie  did  say  was  to  the  point,  and  had  great  weiglit  with 
those  who  heard  him." 

Major  James  H.  Foote,  Dellaplane,  N.  C.  (1886)  :  "  In  the 
years  1837  and  1S3S  P.  S.  Ney  was  teaching  on  the  farm  of 
Captain  Placebo  Houston,  and  it  was  then  I  was  one  of  his 
students.  He  was  in  the  employment  of  that  noble  circle  of 
citizens,  Captain  P.  Houston,  Captain  John  Yoimg,  Samuel 
Young,  and  Colonel  Francis  Young  (who  all  lived  on  adjoin- 
ing plantations),  and  was  patronized  by  the  leading  men  of  the 
county.  Xorth  Carolina  at  that  time  afforded  no  better,  no 
more  patriotic,  high-toned  gentlemen  in  her  borders  ;  and 
among  them,  honored  and  loved  by  all,  was  our  teacher,  Peter 
Stuart  Ney.  Who  he  was  and  whence  he  came  we  knew  only 
from  himself.  As  a  teacher  none  excelled  him.  Many  of  his 
older  pupils  regarded  it  a  degradation  to  join  any  other  school 
after  leaving  him.  In  hearing  the  recitations,  he  seldom  held 
a  book  in  his  hand.  He  would  criticise  the  military  tactics  of 
Julius  C?esar  while  the  class  recited  from  that  author,  pointing 
out  his  mistakes  and  blunders.  His  features  were  well  marked, 
and  readily  gave  expression  to  the  passion  dominant  in  his 
mind.  His  head  was  very  bald,  with  a  broad,  elevated  fore- 
head, and  an  eye — ah  !  what  an  eye  !  He  looked  as  if  he 
penetrated  the  depths  of  your  soul  and  knew  your  very 
thoughts.  An  air  of  great  determination  and  firmness  was 
marked  by  a  prominent  chin  and  resolute  countenance.  He 
always  dressed  well,  but  not  fastidiously.  He  taught  his  stu- 
dents the  art  of  stenography,  and  could  himself  take  down  a 
discourse  verhatim  et  Uterathn,  while  the  speaker  was  deliver- 
ing it.  He  wrote  a  beautiful  but  plain  hand,  and  always  with 
a  quill  pen.  I  never  heard  him  use  profane  language.  He 
had  his  bywords,  such  as  '  Dash  your  skin  of  you  !  '  '  I  give 
the  lie  to  that  ! '  etc.  He  had  a  brogue  more  like  the  Scotch, 
I  think,  than  French,  and  still  he  was  in  every  sense  a 
thorough  Frenchman.  He  claimed,  on  his  mother's  side, 
relationship  with  the  Scotch,  and  always  wrote  his  name  Peter 
Stuart,  or  the  initials  P.  S. ,  which  makes  me  think  his  mother 
was  Scotch  and  not  Irish,  as  Mr.  (Burgess)  Gaither  thinks.* 
■     *  He  could  have  been  related  both  to  the  Scotch  and  the  Irish,  and  this 


194         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Althougli  he  followed  teaching  as  '  a  visible  means  '  of  sup- 
port, he  was  in  no  want  of  funds,  for  it  was  known  that  he 
had  credit  in  the  United  States  Bank  at  Washington  City. 
His  price  for  teaching  was  only  $200  per  session  of  ten 
months,  including  his  board.  He  spent  his  money  freely,  but 
not  foolishly  ;  for  no  man  was  more  charitable  than  he.  If 
he  saw  any  one,  man,  woman,  or  child,  in  want  or  distress,  he 
would  readily  divide  with  them  of  what  means  he  had  in 
hand.  He  would  take  the  poor  boys  in  his  school  and  charge 
their  tuition  to  himself  and  have  it  deducted  from  his  salary. 
His  whole  deportment  was  that  of  the  true  gentleman.  He 
had  one  fault  that  many  great  men  have — that  of  drinking  at 
times  to  intoxication  ;  and  when  drinking  was  very  communi- 
cative ;  when  sober  he  was  rather  reticent.  In  1837  P.  S. 
Ney  appeared  to  be  about  seventy  years  old.  I  think  ho 
sometimes  wrote  his  name  P.  S.  M.  Ney.  These  initials,  I 
suppose,  stood  for  Peter  Stuart  Michael.  He  often  spoke  of 
his  wife  and  children  ;  seemed  to  have  the  greatest  affection 
for  them.  He  was  a  great  expert  with  the  sword.  When  he 
was  teaching  at  Mocksville  (I  believe),  a  French  fencing-mas- 
ter came  and  proposed  to  Mr.  Ney's  pupils  to  teach  them  the 
art  of  fencing.  They  told  him  if  he  would  take  a  tilt  with 
their  teacher  and  hit  him  they  would  get  him  up  a  big  class. 
This  was  agreed  to,  and  Mr.  Ney  was  introduced  to  him. 
The  fencing-master  opened  his  trunk  and  invited  Mr.  Ney  to 
select  his  sword.  They  repaired  to  the  playground,  and  after 
parrying  thrusts  for  awhile,  Ney  clave  the  Frenchman's  hat 
in  two,  just  brushing  his  ear.  The  professor  immediately 
threw  down  his  wea])on  and  said,  '  Boys,  you  have  a  master  ; 
you  have  no  use  for  me.'  I  have  heard  General  James  Cook, 
who  was  an  eye-witness,  relate  this  incident.  He  never  went 
about  large  cities  ;  remained  far  in  the  interior  of  the  country, 
and  lived  in  obscurity  for  some  purpose.  I  do  not  think  he 
could  have  been  a  refugee  for  crime,  one  so  noble  in  his  bear- 
ing, so  capable  of  filling  any  station  in  life.  Royalty  sat  upon 
his  brow,  and  Genius  claimed  him  for  her  own.     I  have  no 

is  probable.  Michael  is  an  Irish  name  ;  and  certain  features  of  Ney's 
face,  and  his  temper,  rather  indicate  that  he  had  Irish  blood  in  his  veins. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  105 

doubt  he  was  here  for  some  political  offence.  I  was  a  mere 
lad  the  first  day  I  went  to  his  school,  and  was  afraid  of  him. 
He  called  me  to  his  desk  and  inquired  my  name.  Taking  up 
his  pen,  and  while  I  stood  by  bis  side,  he  wrote  a  beautiful 
acrostic  on  my  name,  a  part  of  which  is  as  follows  : 

"  '  Jehovah  made  thee  what  thou  art, 
A  3'outh  of  warm  and  feeling  heart  ; 
Make,  then,  thy  genius  and  thy  time 
Employ  themselves  in  things  sublime. 
iSweet  are  the  musings  of  the  just ; 
Heaven  always  holds  their  lives  in  trust.' 

From  that  moment  he  won  my  heart." 

John  A.  Butler,  County  Line,  N.  C.  (1888)  :  "  My  father, 
L.  Q.  C.  Butler,  was  well  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.  He 
was  his  pupil  for  a  long  time,  and  thoroughly  understood  his 
system  of  stenography.  Mr.  N"ey  said  to  him  one  day,  point- 
ing to  a  desk  which  contained  his  private  papers,  '  In  that 
desk  is  a  document  written  in  shorthand.  After  my  death  I 
wish  you  to  get  it  and  translate  it.  There  is  something  in  it 
that  will  astonish  the  world. '  I  have  heard  my  father  speak 
of  the  conversation  often.  Mr.  Ney  died  in  November,  1846, 
and  my  father  did  not  hear  of  his  death  until  several  months 
afterward.  He  went  at  once  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  O.  G. 
Foard,  where  Mr.  Ney  died  ;  but  Mr.  Pliny  Miles,  of  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  had  already  obtained  the  manu- 
script from  Mr.  Foard,  with  the  distinct  promise  that  he  would 
get  it  translated  and  would  then  return  it  with  the  translation 
to  Mr.  Foard.  That  promise  he  failed  to  fulfil.  My  father 
always  deeply  regretted  that  the  manuscript  was  carried  off  in 
that  way.  I  have  often  heard  my  father  speak  of  Mr.  Ney's 
fine  personal  appearance.  .  .  .  He  said  his  lips  were  rather 
thick,  but  came  evenly  together.  His  hands  were  fat,  tender, 
and  freckled.  Mr.  Ney  was  a  man  of  great  nobility  of  char- 
acter. There  was  a  man  in  our  neighborhood,  said  my  father, 
that  nobody  hked.  He  was  selfish  and  mean.  Some  one 
asked  Mr.  Ney  to  give  his  opinion  of  him.  '  No,'  he  rephed, 
'  I  shall  not  do  it.  I  have  been  that  man's  guest.  1  can't 
put  my  feet  under  a  man's  table  and  then  go  off  and  talk 


196         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

about  him. '  It  is  needless  to  say  that  my  father  worshipped 
the  man." 

Dr.  Peter  C.  Jurney,  Olin,  N.  C.  (1885)  :  "  I  was  a  pupil 
of  P.  S.  Ney  for  several  months.  He  had  a  very  quick  and 
excitable  temperament.  When  aroused  on  any  subject,  his 
eyes  would  flash,  he  would  talk  rapidly,  and  his  whole  coun- 
tenance would  quiver  with  the  emotion  which  he  felt.  One 
day  at  school,  during  the  noon  recess,  a  young  man  named 
Naylor  came  to  the  schoolhouse  and  said  to  some  of  the  boys 
that  he  would  like  to  fence  with  Mr.  Ney.  One  of  the  boys, 
watching  his  chance  (for  Mr.  Ney  was  very  approachable  at 
times),  told  him  what  the  young  man  had  said.  Mr.  Ney, 
who  had  been  walking  up  and  down  the  schoolhouse,  appar- 
ently in  deep  thought,  answered  pleasantly  that  he  would  be 
glad  to  fence  with  Mr.  Naylor.  When  they  took  their  posi- 
tions Mr.  Ney  noticed  that  the  young  man  was  left-handed. 
He  didn't  like  it.  '  Dash  it  !  '  or  '  Dash  your  hide  ! '  said 
Mr.  Ney,  '  you  are  left-handed.  1  never  saw  but  one  man 
that  I  dreaded,  and  he  was  left-handed.  He  gave  me  this 
scar  or  lick  on  my  head,'  or  words  to  that  effect.  But  they 
went  at  it,  and  the  young  man  proved  to  be  but  a  baby  in  Mr. 
Ney's  hands.  He  could  not  touch  Mr.  Ney,  while  Mr.  Ney 
could  hit  him  at  any  time  he  pleased." 

Eev.  William  A.  Wood,  D.D.,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (1887)  : 
"  I  knew  Peter  S.  Ney.  I  was  a  pupil  of  his  for  a  consider- 
able time.  I  was  quite  young,  but  I  have  a  very  clear  and 
distinct  recollection  of  him.  Indeed,  it  would  be  almost  im- 
possible to  forget  such  a  man.  I  may  safely  say  that  I  never 
knew  one  with  a  warmer,  truer  heart,  a  stronger  mind,  or 
more  commanding  presence.  As  a  teacher  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult for  anyone  to  equal  him,  much  less  surpass  him.  He 
was  painstaking,  conscientious,  and  thorough.  He  could  not 
tolerate  superficial  work  of  any  kind.  He  ruled  the  older 
pupils — some  of  them  very  wild  and  reckless  at  home — as 
easily  as  he  ruled  the  little  boy  but  eight  years  old.  To  the 
younger  pupils  he  was  exceedingly  kind.  My  health  was  deli- 
cate, and  I  sometimes  rode  to  school  on  horseback,  especially 
when  the  weather  was  inclement.     On  such  occasions  Mr. 


"'K^^^^^     jz^^^i-o^ry 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  197 

Ney  wrould  come  out  of  his  log  academy  and  help  me  off  mj 
horse  with  a  tenderness  and  a  delicacy  which  to  me  was  most 
embarrassing.  In  the  evening  he  helped  me  on  the  horse  in 
the  same  gentle  way,  and  was  so  thoughtful  and  considerate 
of  my  comfort  that  I  was  glad  to  get  away  to  hide  my  blushes 
and  perhaps  my  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude.  During  recess  he 
would  often  take  crumbs  of  bread  and  throw  them  to  the  mice 
which  came  out  timidly  from  their  hiding-places  to  look  for 
something  to  eat.  He  would  not  permit  the  smallest  act  of 
injustice  or  cruelty.  "When  cases  of  this  kind  among  his 
pupils  were  reported  to  him,  he  would  fire  up  instantly.  His 
eyes,  so  calm  and  gentle  in  repose,  would  flame  with  passion, 
and  the  offender  would  certainly  be  punished,  and  sometimes 
with  severity.  He  taught  his  boys  to  be  truthful,  honest, 
manly,  generous,  merciful.  He  paid  as  much  attention  per- 
haps to  the  moral  as  to  the  mental  development  of  his  pupils. 
In  this  way  he  accomplished  a  vast  deal  of  good.  Few  teach- 
ers, I  venture  to  say,  have  left  so  deep,  so  lasting  an  impress 
npon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  their  pupils  as  Peter  Stuart  Ney. 
He  had  but  one  vice — that  of  occasionally  drinking  to  excess  ; 
but  his  general  conduct  was  so  pure,  so  honorable,  so  upright, 
so  noble,  that  every  one,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  had 
the  sincerest  respect  for  him,  the  fullest  confidence  in  him. 
His  oath  would  have  been  received  in  any  court  of  justice  as 
quickly  and  as  readily  as  that  of  Judge  Pearson  or  Governor 
Morehead.  His  influence  for  good  in  the  community  where 
he  lived  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  It  is  felt  to  this  day, 
and  will  continue  to  be  felt  by  succeeding  generations.  One 
day,  when  I  was  at  Davidson  College — probably  in  the  year 
1847 — 1  saw  in  the  library  a  book  entitled,  I  think,  '  Napo- 
leon and  his  Marshals.'  In  that  book  was  a  fine  engraving  of 
Marshal  Ney.  On  the  page  opposite  was  a  pencil  sketch  or 
drawing  of  Marshal  Ney  which  closely  resembled  the  engrav- 
ing in  the  book,  and  was  also  a  good  likeness  of  Peter  S.  Ney. 
Underneath  this  pencil  sketch,  in  P.  S.  Ney's  handwi'iting, 
were  the  words,  '  By  Ney  himself.'  I  often  looked  for  the 
book  afterward,  searching  diligently  through  the  library,  with 
the  aid  of  the  librarians,  but  I  could  not  find  it.     I  can  hardly 


198         WAS  MARSHAL  KEY  EXECUTED  ? 

doubt  that  this  great  man — for  I  mnst  call  him  great — was 
Napoleon's  most  famous  marshal," 

John  L.  Jetton,  Davidson  College,  N.  C.  (May  1st,  1893)  : 
"  I  went  to  school  to  P.  S.  Ney  in  1846.  I  remember  him 
well.  There  were  some  persons  in  the  neighborhood  who 
were  very  anxious  to  find  out  who  Mr.  Ney  was.  Among 
them  was  Colonel  John  H.  Wheeler,  author  of  a  '  History  of 
North  Carolina.'  Colonel  Wheeler  had  a  high  opinion  of  Mr. 
Ney,  and  often  invited  him  to  his  house.  But  Mr.  Ney  sel- 
dom accepted  his  invitations.  He  said  one  day,  '  Mr.  Wheeler 
tries  to  ^ick  me  in  a  gentlemanly  way.  He  asks  too  many 
questions.  I  cannot  answer  them,  and  sometimes  I  am  em- 
barrassed in  his  presence.'  One  day  during  recess,  while  we 
were  playing  shinny,  one  of  the  boys  was  struck  on  the  head 
by  the  ball  and  rather  seriously  hurt.  Mr.  Ney  came  out  and, 
taking  hold  of  my  stick,  said,  '  I  will  show  you  how  to  strike 
the  ball  so  that  it  will  go  near  the  ground.  As  he  drew  back 
his  stick  to  strike,  one  of  the  boys  on  the  opposing  side,  seeing 
his  opportunity,  took  the  ball  away  from  Mr.  Ney  and  carried 
it  on  to  the  goal.  Mr.  Ney  was  dehghted.  '  That's  right, ' 
said  he — '  that's  right.'  It  is  '  one  of  my  old  tricks.  Once, 
while  one  of  my  brother  officers  was  getting  ready  to  attack 
the  enemy,  1  charged  the  enemy  with  my  troops  and  drove 
him  back  before  the  officer  could  get  his  troops  in  motion.' 
I  remember  the  book  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  AVood  speaks.  I 
first  saw  it,  1  think,  in  1848.  It  remained  in  the  hbrary  until 
about  1851,  and  then  disappeared.  1  saw  it  a  dozen  times  or 
more.  1  am  quite  sure  the  book  was  '  Napoleon  and  his  Mar- 
shals,' by  J.  T.  Headley."^     The  drawing  was  very  distinct  and 

*  Headley's  "  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals"  was  published  in  1846.  The 
Southern  Literary  Messenger,  in  its  June  number  (1846),  acknowledges  the 
receipt  from  Baker  &  Scribner,  New  York,  of  a  "  copy  of  '  Napoleon  and 
his  Marshals,'  by  the  Rev.  J.  T.  Headley."  The  work  therefore  must 
have  made  its  appearance  about  May  20th.  P.  S.  Ney's  school  was  but  a 
short  distance  from  Davidson  College.  He  probably  visited  the  college 
during  his  summer  vacation,  and  spent  much  of  his  time  in  the  large  and 
well-equipped  libraries  of  that  famous  seat  of  learning.  At  this  time, 
doubtless,  P.  S.  Ney  drew  the  pencil  picture  to  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wood, 
and  Mr.  Jetton  refer.     He  died  in  the  following  November. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  199 

well  executed.  It  looked  like  the  portrait  of  Ney  in  the  book, 
allowing  for  age,  etc,  and  was  an  exact  likeness  of  P.  S.  Ney. 
It  was  often  shown  to  visitors.  Underneath  the  sketch,  as 
Dr.  Wood  says,  P.  S.  Key  had  written  the  words,  '  By  Ney 
himself. '  I  never  knew  a  more  honorable  man.  His  word 
was  his  bond.  He  would  have  been  believed,  either  in  court 
or  out  of  court,  as  quickly  as  any  man  in  North  Carolina. 
Mr.  Ney  couldn't  bear  an  informer  or  spy.  One  day  some  of 
the  boys  robbed  a  watermelon  patch.  The  owner  was  angry, 
and  asked  Mr.  Ney  to  punish  the  boys.  '  I  will  do  so,'  said 
he,  '  if  I  can  find  out  M'ho  they  are.'  '  One  of  the  scholars,' 
said  the  man  (giving  his  name),  '  knows  who  they  are,  but  he 
won't  tell  me,'  Mr,  Ney  asked  the  boy  if  he  knew  who 
the  raiders  were,  '  Yes,'  he  answered,  '  but  1  can't  tell.' 
'  Why  ? '  '  Because  the  boys  told  me  they  were  going  to 
take  the  melons,  and  I  can't  betray  them.  I  can't  violate 
their  confidence.'  Mr,  Ney's  face  instantly  changed.  '  You 
are  right,'  said  he,  '  perfectly  right.  I  hope  all  the  boys  will 
imitate  your  example.'  " 

Mrs.  G,  N,  Beale,  Washington,  D.  C,  :  "I  knew  Peter  S, 
Ney  ;  have  often  played  chess  with  him  near  Beattie's 
Pord,  N.  C.  He  was  very  courteous  and  gentlemanlike, 
though  rather  brusque  in  his  manners.  One  day,  when 
slightly  under  the  influence  of  wine,  he  said  to  Miss  Martha 
Graham,  a  niece  of  Governor  Graham,  '  You  look  like  the 
Duchess  of  Argyle,'  The  Grahams  were  descended  from  the 
Argyle  family.  Some  years  ago  I  attended  an  entertainment 
given  in  this  city  by  a  Professor  Stoddard.  It  consisted  of  a 
series  of  movable  pictures,  representing  the  principal  events, 
etc.,  in  the  life  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  When  the  portrait 
of  Marshal  Ney  appeared  upon  the  canvas  I  instantly  turned 
toward  my  husband  and  said,  '  There  is  Peter  Ney,  the  man 
I  used  to  play  chess  with.'  '  Why,'  said  my  husband  laugh- 
ing, '  you  must  be  very  ancient.  You  must  have  been  born 
before  the  flood.'  A  few  moments  after  this  conversation  oc- 
curred Professor  Stoddard  said  that  the  picture  which  he  was 
then  exhibiting  was  that  of  Marshal  Ney,  the  '  bravest  of  the 
brave. '     It  was  a  perfect  likeness  of  Peter  S.  Ney.     Colonel 


200         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

John  H.  Wheeler  observed  Mr.  Ney  closely,  and  he  was  satis- 
fied that  he  was  an  officer  of  high  rank  in  Napoleon's  army, 
though  he  did  not  think  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  The  only  rea- 
son he  gave  for  this  opinion  was  that  Marshal  Ney  was  an 
illiterate  man,  while  Peter  S.  Ney  was  an  accomplished 
scholar." 

Alexander  F.  Brevard,  Machpelah,  Lincoln  Comity,  N.  C. 
(October  28th,  1892)  :  "  I  went  to  school  to  Peter  S.  Ney  in 
1841,  when  he  taught  near  Catawba  Springs.  He  walked  very 
briskly,  especially  for  a  man  of  his  age.  Beetling  brows, 
very  shaggy  ;  tuft  of  hair  at  each  inside  end,  nearest  the  nose. 
When  talking  his  lips  came  firmly  together.  Nose  very  broad 
at  base — spread  out  in  folds  or  curves.  He  told  me  he  was 
the  '  best  fencer  in  the  French  army  with  one  exception '  — pre- 
sumably Murat.  One  day,  when  slightly  ia  liquor,  he  said, 
'  Some  people  say  I  was  educated  for  a  Koman  Catholic  priest. 
It  is  a  lie.  I  am  the  poor  old  marshal.'  Once,  when  hearing 
a  recitation  in  history,  he  described  by  way  of  illustration  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  It  was  a  magnificent  description.  The 
old  man's  eye  lighted  up,  and  he  appeared  truly  grand.  He 
gave  many  incidents  connected  with  the  battle  which  were 
deeply  interesting  to  the  class.  At  last,  when  he  came  to 
Bliicher's  arrival,  his  voice  faltered  and  his  eyes  moistened. 
'  Bliicher, '  said  he,  putting  his  hands  to  his  eyes  to  conceal 
his  emotion — '  Bliicher  ruined  everything.'  Mr.  Ney  per- 
mitted the  older  pupils  to  study  in  the  grove  during  school 
hours,  but  they  had  to  know  their  lessons.  There  could  be 
no  better  teacher,  and  everybody  had  the  sincerest  esteem  for 
him,  whether  he  was  drunk  or  sober." 

Colonel  George  N.  Folk,  Blackstone,  N.  C,  Judge  John 
Gray  Bynum,  Morganton,  N.  C,  A,  W.  Haywood,  Raleigh, 
N.  C,  T.  H.  Cobb,  Asheville,  N.  C.  (1889):  ''We  have 
often  heard  Chief  Justice  Pearson  speak  of  Peter  S.  Ney. 
He  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  character  and  his  abilities, 
and  was  firmly  convinced  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney." 

H.  H.  Helper,  Mocksville,  N.  C:  "I  knew  Peter  S.  Ney. 
He  talked  at  all  times  with  a  German  brogue.  Had  glitter- 
ing blue-gray  eyes,  sunk  deeply  into  his  head.     Face,  if  I 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET',  EXECUTED  ?  201 

may  so  express  myself,  both  long  and  round.  "Was  fond  of 
music.  In  speaking  of  the  female  sex  generally  he  never 
used  the  world  lady — always  said  woman.  He  refused  to 
ride  a  horse  one  day  because  it  was  named  Wellington.  Said 
he  prepared  himself  for  teaching  English  after  he  came  to 
this  country.  He  often  said  to  his  pupils  :  '  Any  boy  of 
good  common  sense  is  capable  of  mastering  any  and  all 
branches. '  ' ' 

Dr.  Bingham,  JMocksville,  N.  C.  (1889)  :*"...!  have 
often  seen  a  copy  of  Labaume's  '  Russian  Campaign  '  which 
contained  a  great  many  marginal  annotations  by  P.  S.  Ney. 
These  were  very  interesting.  He  would  often  correct  La- 
baume  as  to  matters  of  fact  connected  with  the  retreat,  and 
would  give  fuller  information  as  to  other  points  which  he  con- 
sidered important,  but  which  were  briefly  noticed  by  Labaume. 
The  book,  I  think,  was  owned  by  P.  S.  Ney,  and  was  given 
by  him  to  my  father.  It  was  certainly  left  at  my  father's 
house,  but  I  do  not  know  who  has  it  now.  P.  S.  JSTey  also 
wrote  in  this  book  a  piece  of  poetry  on  the  Moscow  fire.  My 
father  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  Mr.  Ney' s  ability  and  gen- 
eral character.  He  said  Mr,  Ney  looked  like  a  Scotch  bishop 
— that  he  was  too  highly  educated  for  Marshal  Ney.  In  other 
respects  he  thought  he  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  great 
French  soldier." 

Rev.  Basil  G.  Jones,  M.D.,  Kingstree,  S.  C.  (1887)  : 
"  When  I  came  from  Alabama  to  Davie  County,  N.  C,  in 
1829,  there  was  a  mysterious  person  teaching  school  near 
Mocksville,  calling  himself  Peter  Stuart  Ney.  He  was  re- 
garded by  the  literati  and  everybody  else  as  a  finished  gentle- 
man and  scholar.  He  seemed  to  be  perfectly  at  home  in  any 
branch  of  learning  known  in  that  day.  He  seemed  to  under- 
stand well  the  Scotch,  French,  Italian,  English,  Latin,  Greek, 
Hebrew,  Russian,  and  Polish  languages.  He  said  he  could 
read  and  converse  in  all  of  them.  He  was  frequently  put  to 
test  in  at  least  some  of  them,  as  Latin,  Greek,  French,  Scotch, 


*  A  part  of  Dr.  Bingham's  testimony  has  already  been  given.     See  testi- 
mony of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rockwell. 


202         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

and  Plebrew.     He  was  acknowledged  by  those  who  professed 
to  understand  the  Hebrew  to  be  a  superior  Hebraist. 

"  Mr.  Ney  taught  at  otlier  places.  At  Mr.  Placebo  Hous- 
ton's, in  Iredell,  the  Houstons,  Youngs,  and  others,  the  most 
wealthy  and  respectable  citizens  of  Iredell  County,  were  his 
pupils  ;  a  part  of  them  are  still  living.  Mr.  ISTey  was  a  man 
about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  heavily  set,  and  compactly 
built ;  he  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  or  one 
hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  and  was  of  extraordinary  muscu- 
lar development.  He  had  every  appearance  of  a  large,  rough 
Scottish  Highlander,  of  symmetrical  proportions,  well  adapted 
to  energy  and  endurance,  qualities  which  Mr.  ISTey  possessed 
in  a  high  degree.  He  was  more  adapted  to  herculean  strength 
than  to  agility.  His  back  was  straight,  shoulders  broad  and 
a  Kttle  stooped,  head  well  balanced,  the  top  bald,  the  back 
and  sides  of  the  head  covered  with  hair  once  auburn,  but 
then  a  little  silvered  ;  his  nose  was  straight  and  very  large, 
with  a  massive  end  ;  his  mouth  large  and  broad  ;  lips  firm, 
the  under  apparently  a  little  thicker  than  the  upper  ;  com- 
plexion florid  ;  face  full  and  pitted  with  small-pox  ;  coun- 
tenance a  little  down  but  stern,  thoughtful,  and  intelligent  ; 
his  eyes  not  large,  but  rather  brilliant,  indicating  a  strong, 
perceptive,  and  penetrating  intellect.  One  day  Mr.  Ney  re- 
ceived bad  news  from  France.  He  said  his  hopes  were  de- 
stroyed. He  could  never  go  back.  He  wept  like  a  child, 
and  large  tears  found  their  way  rapidly  down  his  pale  cheek. 
While  in  that  condition  he  could  not  be  trusted  alone.  He 
was  sick,  frantic,  and  almost  ungovernable.  During  this  time 
the  writer  and  a  few  others  spent  a  night  with  him.  I  never 
can  forget  that  night.  He  raved  of  France,  l^apoleon,  his 
wife  and  family,  Waterloo,  Moscow,  etc.;  called  for  PJie- 
sinac^^  issued  his  commands^  sketched  his  past  history,  gave 


*  The  italics  are  mine.  P.  S.  Ney  doubtless  said  Fesensac,  and  the  wit- 
ness understood  him  to  say  Phesinac.  The  Duke  of  Fezensac  was  for  a 
long  time  Ney's  loved  and  honored  aide-de-camp,  and  in  the  Russian 
retreat  he  was  Key's  right  arm.  Ney  trusted  him  as  he  trusted  no  other 
officer,  and  it  is  but  just  to  say  that  not  even  the  "  bravest  of  the  brave" 
could  have  accomplished  what  he  did  accomplish  without  the  loyal  and 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  f  203 

an  account  of  his  birth,  connection  with  the  family  of  the 
Stuarts,  and  his  relation  to  the  Bonapartes  ;  how  he  came  to 
be  made  a  marshal  of  the  Empire  ;  how  the  battle  of  Waterloo 
was  planned  by  Napoleon  and  his  Cabinet,  etc.  Mr.  Ney 
then  showed  us  the  wounds  or  rather  scars  which  he  received 
at  Waterloo  and  elsewhere — wounds  of  precisely  the  kind 
described  in  history.  I  was  a  pupil  of  Mr.  Ney  in  1831 
or  1832.  Moral  courage,  firmness  of  principle,  fixedness 
of  purpose,  strength  of  nerve,  indomitable  perseverance, 
honesty  and  truth,  are  traits  of  character  which  he  held  in  the 
highest  admiration.  He  used  to  impress  these  upon  us  boys 
as  essential  elements  of  a  man.  He  told  me  once  how  he 
escaped.  He  said  the  French  people  thought  Marshal  Ney 
was  dead,  but  he  was  not.  He  fell  by  preconcerted  arrange- 
ment, as  if  he  were  dead  ;  was  taken  up,  disguised,  and  finally 
escaped  to  the  United  States,  the  Ancient  Fraternity*  aiding 
in  his  escape  from  the  first.     I  never  heard  Mr.  Ney  say  what 

hearty  co-operation  of  the  Duke  of  Fezensac.  Ney  and  Fezensac  were 
the  only  men  with  "  thoroughly  tempered  souls,"  and  it  is  perfectly  clear 
that  next  to  Ney,  Fezensac  is  the  hero  of  the  Russian  retreat.  The 
"Memoirs"  of  the  Duke  of  Fezensac  prove  that  he  almost  worshipped 
Ney,  and  that  Ney  loved  him  as  a  son,  and  had  the  very  highest  opinion 
of  his  character  as  a  man  and  his  genius  as  a  soldier. 

A  short  time  after  the  Russian  retreat,  Ney  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  the  Minister  of  War  : 

"  Monsieur  le  Due  :  I  seize  the  present  moment  to  inform  you  how 
highly  I  appreciate  the  services  which  Monsieur  de  Fezensac  has  rendered 
the  army.  This  young  man  has  been  placed  in  the  most  critical  circum- 
stances, and  in  every  instance  he  rose  superior  to  them.  I  present  him  to 
you  as  a  veritable  French  chevalier,  and  you  may  henceforth  regard  him 
as  an  old  colonel." 

Fezensac  says  :  "  I  have  the  original  letter.  Every  one  must  under- 
stand how  great  a  price  I  attach  to  such  a  document." 

In  his  delirious  ravings  it  was  but  natural  for  P.  S.  Ney  (if  he  were  the 
marshal)  to  fight  over  his  old  battles,  to  "  issue  his  commands."  to  "  call 
for"  Fezensac,  for  so  long  a  time  his  chief  aide-de-camp,  and  who  in  the 
Russian  retreat,  as  colonel  of  the  Fourth  Regiment,  so  nobly  held  up  the 
hands  of  his  chief  as  the  savior  of  the  army,  of  Napoleon,  of  the  Empire. 
Fezensac  is  a  singular  name,  and  it  is  extremely  probable  that  the  wit- 
ness, then  but  a  youth,  had  never  heard  of  the  Duke  of  Fezensac. 

*  The  Masons,  I  presume. 


204         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

became  of  Pliesinac.  It  seems  to  me  he  said  Pliesinac  kept 
him  from  being  slain  at  Waterloo,  or  protected  him  in  some 
way.  His  wife,  he  said,  sent  him  packages — he  didn't  say 
how.  One  day  when  he  was  staying  at  my  home  a  tremen- 
dous thunderstorm  came  up.  It  was  about  sunset,  and  the 
storm  was  the  most  terrific  I  ever  saw.  My  father  and  every 
member  of  the  family  were  badly  frightened.  Mr.  Ney  alone 
ajDpeared  calm  and  undismayed.  Presently  he  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  began  to  walk  rather  briskly  about  the  room.  Then 
we  thought  he  was  frightened,  but  he  was  not.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  opened  the  door,  and  taking  in  his  hand  a  stout 
cane,  he  walked  out  under  the  large  trees  and  quietly  surveyed 
the  storm.  Now  and  then  he  would  raise  his  stick  and  wave 
it,  as  if  in  the  act  of  fencing.  When  the  storm  subsided  Mr. 
Ney  came  back  into  the  house,  and  said,  '  By  Jove,  colonel, 
I  never  saw  such  sublimity,  except  at  Waterloo  !  '  " 

George  A.  Miller,  Davie  County,  K  C.  (1870):  "  I  was 
well  acquainted  with  P.  S.  Ney.  From  1833  until  his  death 
in  1846  our  intercourse  was  as  familiar  as  could  be  between 
persons  of  different  ages  and  pursuits.  The  venerable  and 
dignified  deportment  of  Mr.  Ney,  his  imperial  air,  his  great 
learning  and  unexampled  scholarship,  his  perfect  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics,  the  modern  languages, 
and  especially  the  history  of  the  French  Revolution  and 
every  j)articular  in  relation  to  the  personal,  civil,  and  military 
career  of  the  great  Napoleon — these  qualities  of  mind  and 
person,  united  to  an  impenetrable  mystery  which  clung  around 
his  own  history — a  mystery  which  nothing  could  surprise  or 
remove — attracted  every  one  like  the  secret  properties  of  the 
magnet.  There  was  a  something  about  the  man  which  once 
seen  seemed  to  say,  '  I  dare  you  to  forget  me. '  It  stamped 
itself  on  the  brain  in  letters  never  to  be  blotted  out,  '  I  am 
not  hooked  on  the  common  roll  of  menJ^  He  appeared  to 
others  what  we  often  heard  him  say  in  regard  to  Napoleon, 
'  that  he  was  the  only  mortal  he  could  never  look  full  in  the 
eye. '  We  have  seen  Mr.  Ney  under  all  circumstances.  We 
have  seen  his  courage  tested,  and  his  face  never  blanched  and 
his  nerves  never  trembled.     We  have  seen  him  when  the  say- 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  205 

ing  of  Horace,  '  In  vino  Veritas^ '  could  be  best  verified.  We 
liave  seen  him  at  midniglit,  courting  and  recording  the  in- 
spiration of  the  muses.  We  have  seen  him  kiss  the  portrait 
of  Josephine  while  the  tears  of  affection  and  .  .  .  (lines 
obscured).  With  the  permission  of  Mr.  Foard  we  examined 
the  papers  of  Mr.  ISTey  soon  after  his  death.  We  found  any 
quantity  of  poetry  and  prose  on  all  subjects,  but  nothing  to 
throw  light  on  the  object  of  our  search — his  own  life.  The 
longest  and  most  labored  production  of  his  mind  was  a  history 
of  the  French  Revolution  written  in  ciphers  (of  his  own  in- 
vention), which  we  could  not  understand,  but  in  part  was  ex- 
plained to  us  by  Dr.  Matthew  Locke,  one  of  his  former  pupils. 
Mr.  Foard  told  us  that  a  night  or  two  before  he  died  he  de- 
stroyed all  of  his  more  private  correspondence,  and  among 
them  some  ship  letters  lately  received  from  France,  which 
contained  valuables. ' ' 

Mr.  A.  H.  Graham,  Bagdad,  Tex.  (1879)  :  "  Peter  S.  Ney, 
as  he  styled  himself,  came  to  my  father's  in  Lincoln  County, 
IS".  C,  in  1842,  to  teach  school.  He  was  employed  by  my 
father  and  others  for  about  four  years  in  teaching.  He  had 
a  sabre  wound  on  his  head  and  numerous  gunshot  wounds  on 
his  body  and  limbs,  and  one  particularly  near  the  knee-joint, 
from  a  musket-ball,  part  of  which  he  still  retained,  and  at 
times,  in  his  long  walks  to  and  from  school,  gave  him  much 
pain.  In  1845  he  appeared  to  be  seventy-five  or  eighty  years 
old.  He  was  well  preserved,  as  he  had  taken  good  care  of 
liimself.  His  habits,  diet,  exercise,  cleanliness  of  person  were 
all  conducive  to  good  health.  He  used  Florida  water  and 
cologne  constantly.  Shaved  every  day.  I  was  his  almost 
daily  companion  for  three  years  ;  slept  near  him,  helped  him 
to  undress  when  in  his  cups.  Complexion  florid,  pale  only 
when  sick.  Hairs  on  his  arms  and  legs  even  of  an  auburn 
color.  A  small  eater — rarely  ate  more  than  two  meals  a  day. 
Spent  most  of  his  time  in  reading,  writing,  etc.  The  portrait 
of  Lord  Elgin,  Governor-General  of  Canada,  is  a  fair  likeness 
of  Ney.  He  dressed  very  much  as  Elgin,  although  he  wore 
no  jewelry.  Had  a  large  English  silver  watch.  Ko  side 
whiskers,  and  always  dressed  the  side  hair  of  his  head  over 


206  WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

the  top  and  back  of  his  head,  and  not  straight  down,  as  in  the 
Elgin  engraving.  He  wore  a  white  neck-tie  hke  our  Epis- 
copal ministers — a  black  one  at  times.  Had  cat  or  hazel  eyes, 
sprinkled  with  grains  of  powder  ;  said  he  received  powder 
burns  on  his  face  at  Borodino.  Often  spoke  of  Lord  Nelson 
and  battle  of  Trafalgar  ;  didn't  say  he  was  in  the  battle  ;  said 
Lord  J^elson  was  a  brave  and  great  Englishman.  He  had  a 
German  brogue.  He  frequently  made  use  of  such  words  as 
mon  for  man,  and  ye  for  you,  as  the  Germans  use  them.  In 
pronouncing  algebra,  he  made  the  last  a  sound  like  r.  Spoke 
much  of  the  excellence  of  the  German  language  ;  said  it  was 
a  great  language  ;  seemed  to  be  very  fond  of  it.  Spoke  it 
perfectly,  as  he  also  did  the  French  and  dead  languages.  I 
have  sat  for  hours  and  listened  to  him  tell  of  his  battles  and 
campaigns,  especially  of  the  dreadful  march  from  Moscow, 
and  the  great  battle  of  Borodino,  Also  spoke  often  of  Hohen- 
linden.  Said  the  victory  at  Borodino  was  due  to  him,  as 
Napoleon  was  too  unwell  to  command  in  person,  but  sat  astride 
a  cannon  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  being  afflicted  with 
strangury.  Said  Lord  "Wellington  saved  his  life.  He  feared 
to  make  himself  known  on  this  account  and  for  his  family's 
sake,  as  well  as  for  other  reasons.  As  a  rule  he  would  not 
talk  about  himself  except  when  in  wine  ;  but  he  was  rarely 
intoxicated.  He  knew  what  he  was  talking  about.  1  once 
saw  a  letter  which  he  wrote  to  Wellington,  He  seemed  to  be 
agitated  when  he  wrote  it.  Said,  according  to  my  recollec- 
tion, that  the  French  Government  owed  him  60,000  francs. 
I  do  not  think  he  sent  the  letter.  Talked  about  Wellington 
in  a  very  excited  manner.  Said  he  or  some  of  his  friends 
appealed  to  him  in  person.  Wellington,  with  his  hat  drawn 
down  over  his  eyes,  stamped  upon  the  ground,  and  said  with 
much  emphasis,  '  I  cannot  and  will  not  interfere  with  the  laws 
of  the  French  Government. '  Said  his  friend  Rogers  in  South 
Carolina  was  fully  acquainted  with  his  history.  In  1844:  said 
his  wife  was  still  living.  Spoke  of  her  with  much  affection. 
Said  she  was  a  small  woman,  and  very  beautiful.  For  a  man 
of  his  age  he  was  an  excellent  and  graceful  horseman,  although 
he  seldom  rode  a  horse.     I  once  saw  him  ride  at  full  gallop  a 


NO.  r.    EXAMPLES  OF  P.   S.  NETS  HANDWRITING. 


"'"'av' 


t.>»>^  ' 


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NO.   8.     EXAMPLES   OF  MARSHAL  NEY'S   HANDWRITING. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  207 

large,  fiery  horse,  wliicli  showed  him  off  to  much  advantage, 
and  surprised  us  all  very  much.  This  proved  to  us  that  he 
had  long  been  accustomed  to  the  saddle.  He  used  to  punish 
his  pupils  by  pinching  their  ears.  Said  that  was  Napoleon's 
habit  with  his  officers.  My  sisters  occasionally  played  '  Bona- 
parte's Retreat.'  Mr.  Ney  didn't  like  to  hear  it — sometimes 
shed  tears.  I  don't  think  he  ever  voted  or  w^as  naturalized. 
"Was  a  great  fencer.  Said  Murat  only  was  a  better  swords- 
man. He  often  spoke  of  an  adopted  child  that  he  rescued 
during  the  march  from  Moscow.  He  called  him  Phesnac  or 
Fesnac*  He  appeared  to  have  a  greater  affection  for  him 
than  any  one  of  whom  1  heard  him  speak — not  even  excepting 
his  wife  and  children.  Always  spoke  of  Phesnac  or  Pesnae 
as  a  youth  ;  called  him  '  my  son.'  I  think  he  said  Murat  cut 
down  the  soldier  who  gave  him  the  sabre  wound.  Did  not 
say  in  what  battle  he  received  it.  I  have  often  seen  the  manu- 
script containing  an  account  of  his  life.  He  kept  it  securely 
in  his  trunk.  In  writing  it  he  often  consulted  Thiers's  '  His- 
tory of  the  Consulate  and  Empire. '  ' ' 


*  1  have  no  doubt  P.  S.  Ney  said  Fezensac.  Headley  says  :  "  As  they 
left  the  gates  of  Smolensko,  a  French  mother,  finding  she  had  not  room  in 
her  sledge  for  her  infant  child,  cast  it  from  her  into  the  snow  in  spite  of 
its  piercing  cries  and  pleading  tones.  Ney,  touched  by  the  spectacle, 
lifted  up  the  infant  himself,  and  replaced  it  on  the  mother's  breast,  bidding 
her  cherish  and  protect  it.  Again  did  she  cast  it  away,  and  again  did  he 
carry  it  in  his  own  brave  arms  back  to  her ;  and  though  the  mother  was 
finally  left  to  die  on  the  frozen  ground,  that  tender  infant  survived  all 
the  horrors  of  the  retreat,  and  lived  to  see  France." — "  Napoleon  and  his 
Marshals." 

' '  At  the  gates  of  the  city ' '  (Smolensko)  ' '  a  mother  abandoned  her  little 
son,  only  five  years  old  ;  in  spite  of  his  cries  and  tears,  she  drove  him 
away  from  her  sledge,  which  was  too  heavily  laden.  .  .  .  Twice  did  Ney 
himself  replace  the  child  in  the  arms  of  its  mother,  and  twice  did  she  cast 
him  from  her  on  the  frozen  snow.  .  .  .  The  infant  was  enti-usted  to  another 
mother  ;  this  little  orphan  was  then  in  their  ranks  ;  he  was  afterward  seen 
at  the  Berezina,  then  at  Wilna,  again  at  Kowno,  and  finally  escaped  all 
the  horrors  of  the  retreat." — Segur's  "  Expedition  to  Russia." 

At  Smolensko  (p.  59)  Fezensac  was  almost  as  heroic,  almost  as  great  as 
Ney  himself.  It  is  very  probable  that  Ney  adopted  this  orphan  boy,  and 
named  him  Fezensac  in  honor  of  his  lion-hearted  lieutenantt  See  testi- 
mony of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jones. 


208         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Sloan,  Brenham,  Tex.  (1886)  :  ''  1  was 
well  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.  I  was  his  pupil  for  a 
considerable  time.  Mj  brother"  (Dr.  A.  H.  Graham)  "  wrote 
on  a  piece  of  cardboard  '  Academy  of  P.  S.  I^ey, '  and  tacked 
it  on  a  tree  near  the  road.  Mr.  Ney  was  enraged,  and  ordered 
my  brother  to  take  it  down,  saying  he  did  not  wish  his  where- 
abouts to  be  known.  I  have  frequently  heard  him  speak  of 
his  wife.  Said  she  had  an  elegant  necklace*  (diamond,  I 
think)  which  cost  several  thousand  dollars — I  forget  how 
many.  One  day  our  class  read  '  On  Linden  when  the  sun 
was  low.'  Mr.  ]^ey  shed  tears,  as  he  did  on  another  occasion 
when  the  class  read  about  Waterloo.  When  on  horseback,  as 
old  as  he  was,  he  was  grand — so  erect — and  rode  beautifully." 

N.  F.  Hall,  Blackmer,  Rowan  County,  K  C,  1886  :  "I 
saw  P.  S.  Ney  several  times  when  he  taught  near  Mocksville. 
Judge  Pearson  knew  him  well.  He  said  to  me  one  day,  '  This 
Peter  S.  ISTey  likes  whiskey.  I  believe  he  is  an  impostor.  I 
haven't  the  slightest  idea  that  he  is  Marshal  ISTey.'  Later 
Judge  Pearson  was  convinced  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  I 
saw  P.  S.  Ney  a  short  time  before  he  died.  He  appeared  to 
be  very  aged.  A  good  fencer.  One  day  a  left-handed  man 
was  his  antagonist.  ISTey  shrank  back,  and  pointing  to  a 
heavy  sabre  scar  over  the  eye,  said,  '  A  left-handed  man  gave 
me  this  scar,  or  this  was  made  by  a  left-handed  man.'  " 

Moses  Lingle,  Third  Creek,  N".  C.  (1886)  :  "  I  knew  P.  S. 
ITey.  He  was  a  passionate  man,  and  would  sometimes  give 
vent  to  his  temper.  Osborne  G.  Foard  told  me  that  Ney 
when  drunk  would  tell  who  he  was,  how  he  got  away,  etc. , 
but  silent  as  to  these  points  when  he  was  sober.  I  bought  a 
few  books  that  once  belonged  to  P.  S.  Ney.  Some  of  them 
were  scorched  or  injured  by  the  fire.  It  is  said  that  once 
when  in  great  trouble  he  started  to  destroy  them." 

General  D.  H.  Hill,  Charlotte,  K  C.  (1887)  :  "  Many  of 
my  acquaintances  were  pupils  of  P.  S.  Ney.  In  some  way 
they  were  much  impressed  with  the  learning  and  ability  of 
this  man  of  mystery.     They  all  believed  him  to  be  the  re- 

*  See  portrait  of  the  Princess  de  la  Moskowa. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  200 

doubtable  marshal  ;  but  the  claimants  for  the  marshalship 
overdid  the  work.  They  talked  a  great  deal  about  the  scholar- 
ship of  P.  S.  Nev,  for  which  the  real  marshal  Avas  not  distin- 
guished. However,  the  boys  in  an  old  field  school  are  apt  to 
imagine  that  their  teacher  is  a  new  edition  of  Solomon.  Ney 
said  to  Mrs.  Hill  that  he  took  great  interest  in  her,  as  her 
name  (Christian)  had  the  same  initials*  as  the  name  of  his 
mother.  He  showed  considerable  skill  in  versification,  but, 
as  I  remember,  no  poetic  talent.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Frontis,  a 
native  Frenchman,  said  he  never  believed  Key  to  be  a  French- 
man until  he  heard  him  pronounce  Augereau.  The  pronunci- 
ation was  such,  said  he,  as  only  a  native  could  give.  Ney 
wouldn't  talk  French  with  Frontis,  and  that  excited  his  sus- 
j)icions. " 

Mrs.  H.  M.  Irwin,  Charlotte,  N.  C.  (May  13th,  1S87)  rf 
"P.  S.  Key's  mother,  according  to  his  assertion  to  a  member 
of  my  family,  was  a  Scotchwoman  whose  name  was  Isabella 
Stuart.  The  way  he  happened  to  speak  of  it  was  this  :  he 
sometimes,  at  the  request  of  his  pupils  and  other  parties,  would 
write  acrostics  on  their  names.  He  would  dash  off  these  pro- 
ductions with  no  apparent  effort,  give  the  origin  of  the  name, 
and  state  to  what  language  it  belonged.  In  writing  an  acros- 
tic for  a  young  lady  whose  name  was  Isabella,:}:  he  said,  '  I 
take  much  pleasure  in  putting  this  into  verse,  as  it  was  the 
name  of  my  mother, '  adding  that  she  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land." 

Mrs.  D.  H.  Hill,  Charlotte,  N.  C.  (1894)  :  "  I  have  often 
seen  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  wrote  a  beautiful  acrostic  on  my 
name.  He  said  his  mother  was  connected  with  a  family  of 
Stuarts  who  lived  (as  I  understood  him)  in  Scotland,  not  far 
from  the  residence  of  Sir  James  Graham.  I  once  dined  with 
Mr.  Ney  at  the  home  of  my  uncle,  Mr.  J.  D.  Graham.  Mrs. 
Graham  was  dead,  and  his  young  daughter.  Miss  Martha, 
acted  as  hostess.    She  asked  me  to  assist  her.     Mr.  Ney  was 

*  General  Hill  married  Miss  Isabella  Sophia  Morrison,  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Stonewall  Jackson, 
f  From  the  Charlotte  (N.  C.)  Chronide. 
X  Mrs.  D.  H.  Hill. 


210         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

amused  at  our  inexperienced  efforts  at  entertaining,  and  serv- 
ing the  table.  He  remarked  :  '  1  liope,  young  ladies,  you 
will  excuse  personal  remarks,  but  I  cannot  help  criticising 
occasionally.'  My  cousin  said,  '  I  expect  my  teacher  to  criti- 
cise me.'  He  made  no  reply,  but  after  we  went  into  the 
parlor  he  took  a  seat  near  us  and  remarked,  '  Composure  of 
feature  and  steadiness  of  person  are  the  highest  evidences  of 
good  breeding. '  I  was  so  struck  with  these  words  that  I  im- 
mediately wrote  them  in  my  diary." 

Mrs.  Sally  Nelson  Hughes,  Halifax  Court  House,  Ya. 
(1889)  :  "  Peter  S.  Ney  taught  school  near  the  residence  of  my 
father  (Mr.  William  Nelson),  Mecklenburg  County,  Ya.,  in 
1828-29.  I  was  his  pupil  a  great  part  of  the  time.  He  kept 
a  large  life-size  portrait  of  Napoleon  hanging  up  in  the 
school-room.  He  also  had  a  picture  of  Napoleon's  grave  at 
St.  Helena.  "We  all  thought  he  was  a  wonderful  man.  My 
father  asked  him  to  write  an  acrostic  on  the  names  of  the  dif- 
ferent members  of  his  family.  He  did  so.  The  acrostic  is  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful  and  in  excellent  taste.  My  youngest  sister 
was  named  after  Mr.  Ney's  mother — Catharine  Isabella.  Mr. 
Ney  himself  asked  my  mother  to  let  him  name  her  infant 
child  after  his  mother.  She  readily  granted  the  request.  He 
was  very  proud  of  the  honor.  It  gratified  him  very  much,  as 
he  seemed  to  have  great  affection  for  his  mother.  In  the 
acrostic  the  different  names  are  connected  together  in  a  single 
piece  of  composition.  That  part  of  it  which  refers  to  my 
youngest  sister  is  as  follows  : 

"  '  Conduct  us  to  the  climes  above. 
Assume,  O  Muse,  a  deeper  tone, 
To  animate,  inspire,  inform  : 
Harmonious  numbers  well  may  claim 
A  child  that  bears  my  mother's  name  ; 
Right  forward  be  her  path  ;  may  time 
Inspire  her  heart  with  truth  Divine  ; 
No  vices  stain,  no  passions  wild 
Entice  away  this  lovely  child. 

"  *  In  charity  and  peace,  oh  may 
She  ever  think  of  Stuart  Ney  ! 
Around  her  head  may  Virtue  throw, 
Beaming  and  bright,  her  robe  of  snow  : 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  211 

Emblem  of  innocence  and  worth. 
Look  up  to  them  who  gave  thee  birth  ; 
Look  up  to  Him  who's  higher  still, 
And  act  obedient  to  His  will. ' 

"  The  first  line  is  connected  with  the  preceding  name,  thus  : 

"  '  Wisdom  and  faith  and  pious  love, 
Conduct  us  to  the  climes  above. ' 

"  He  also  wrote  the  acrostic  in  shorthand,  and  said  to  mj 
oldest  sister,  '  Copy  it,  and  time  will  repay  you.'  He  was 
fond  of  music,  and  often  played  on  a  flute.  He  gave  my 
father  a  large  spy-glass.  When  extended,  I  think  it  would 
measure  three  feet,  and  it  commands  a  distance  of  several 
miles.  It  is  now  owned  by  my  nephew  in  Spartanburg,  S.  C. 
The  only  thing  on  the  glass  is,  '  Carpenter,  London.  Improved 
day  and  night. '  ' ' 

J.  W.  Sanders,  Iredell  County,  N.  C.  (1886)  :  "  About 
the  year  1840  Peter  S.  Ney  was  recognized  as  Marshal  ISIey 
by  John  Snyder,  of  Iredell  County.  Snyder  was  a  Bohemian 
German  born  and  raised  near  Prague.  He  said  he  was  con- 
scripted by  order  of  Napoleon  on  the  very  day  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old.  He  was  assigned  to  Murat's  command,  and 
charged  in  the  snow-storm  with  that  renowned  marshal  on 
the  bloody  field  of  Eylau  (as  called  by  Snyder,  '  Ilau  ').  He 
was  afterward  under  Davout,  then  under  various  other  mar- 
shals, including  Marshal  Ney.  Said  he  had  seen  Bonaparte 
(to  use  his  own  words)  '  hundred  times. '  Had  been  in  six- 
teen regular  battles,  besides  several  smaller  engagements. 
Napoleon,  seeing  defection  in  his  German  troops,  sent  them 
away,  I  think  to  the  "West  Indies.  Synder  said  that  after 
enduring  great  hardships  and  suffering  he  deserted  and  came 
to  the  United  States,  landing  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  He  after- 
ward settled  in  Iredell  County.  Snyder  saw  P.  S.  Ney  in 
Statesville  about  1840,  and  immediately  recognized  him  as 
Marshal  Ney.  He  said  he  was  frightened.  He  raised  his 
hands  and  exclaimed  :  '  Lordy  God,  Marshal  Ney  !  '  P.  S. 
Ney  gave  him  a  sign  not  to  talk,  and  he  afterward  conversed 
with  P.  S.  Ney.  He  said  he  knew  Ney  perfectly.  Belonged 
at  one  time  to  Ney's  command,  and  was  personally  acquainted 


212         WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ? 

with  liim.  He  told  me  tlie  following  incident  among  many 
others  :  On  one  occasion  in  a  severe  battle  (I  forget  the 
name)  Marshal  Ney  had  several  horses  killed  under  him. 
He  then  walked  on  foot  along  the  line,  animating  his  despond- 
ing troops,  with  his  sword  in  one  hand  and  a  broken  standard 
in  the  other.  Snyder  saw  that  the  men  were  being  killed  all 
around  him,  and  he  began  to  dodge  at  the  whistle  of  the  bul- 
lets. Ney  saw  him  and  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said, 
in  German,  '  Snyder,  the  bullets  you  hear  won't  kill  you,' 
Snyder  said  that  Ney  knew  a  great  many  of  the  private  sol- 
diers, and  would  often  go  among  them  and  talk  to  them  in  his 
blunt  but  kind-hearted  way.  He  said  Ney's  soldiers  loved 
him,  and  almost  worshipped  the  ground  he  walked  on.  He 
said  that  the  marshal  would  look  out  for  them  as  nobody  else 
would.  He  would  see  that  they  had  plenty  of  food  and 
clothing,  and  that  the  sick  and  wounded  were  properly  cared 
for.  He  would  take  the  part  of  any  soldier  that  was  abused 
or  imposed  upon,  and  would  see  that  justice  was  done  him. 
Frederick  Barr,  one  of  Xapoleon's  old  soldiers,  also  recog- 
nized P.  S.  Ney  as  Marshal  Ney.  Snyder  and  Barr  were 
from  the  same  country,  and  generally  spoke  the  German 
tongue.  They  were  men  of  high  character,  and  enjoyed  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  they  lived. " 
Daniel  Snyder,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (1889):  "  I  have  often 
heard  my  father  (John  Snyder)  say  that  he  knew  Marshal 
Ney  in  Europe  ;  that  he  had  served  in  Key's  command  as  a 
private  soldier.  When  my  father  saw  Peter  S.  Ney  in 
Statesville  about  the  year  1840,  he  knew  him  at  once,  but  he 
was  '  astonished, '  he  said,  '  almost  out  of  his  senses. '  He 
had  no  idea  of  seeing  him.  There  was  a  political  meeting  in 
Statesville  on  the  day  that  my  father  saw  Peter  Ney.  He 
said  when  he  recognized  him  as  Marshal  Ney,  Mr.  Ney  inti- 
mated to  him  to  say  nothing  more,  and  that  after  the  meeting 
was  over  he  and  jSTey  had  a  private  talk.  I  have  heard  my 
father  say  dozens  of  times  that  Peter  S.  Ney  was  Marshal 
Ney  ;  that  he  knew  Marshal  Ney  by  sight  as  well  as  he  knew 
his  own  father.  Germany  was  my  father's  native  country, 
and  his  people  were  in  good  circumstances.     He  said  he  knew 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  213 

Marshal  Ney  personally,  as  Marshal  Ney  was  in  the  habit  of 
going  among  his  soldiers  and  making  the  acquaintance  of  tlie 
humblest  in  the  ranks.  My  father  solemnly  asserted  to  liis 
dying  day  that  Peter  S.  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney. " 

AVilham  Sidney  Stevenson,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (18S7)  :  "1 
knew  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  taught  school  not  far  from  my  home 
for  a  considerable  time,  and  I  have  a  most  distinct  recollec- 
tion of  him.  He  was  a  man  whom,  having  once  seen,  you 
could  never  forget.  His  large,  well-formed  head,  his  broad, 
full  massive  face,  with  piercing  magnetic  eyes  and  very 
prominent  chin,  showed  great  strength  of  mind  and  great  force 
of  character.  He  was  a  man,  too,  of  great  personal  dignity, 
of  marked  simplicity  and  kindliness  of  manner,  free  from 
hypocrisy  or  any  sort  of  affectation  whatever.  In  the  year 
1840  I  attended  a  political  meeting  in  Howe's  Township, 
about  nine  miles  from  Statesville.  It  was  during  the  guber- 
natorial campaign.  Judge  Saunders,  of  Raleigh,  and  Gov- 
ernor Morehead,  of  Greensborough,  were  to  address  the  people 
on  that  occasion.  A  little  while  before  the  speaking  began 
I  was  talking  to  two  of  my  friends,  not  far  from  the  speaker's 
stand.  They  were  John  Young,  county  surveyor  and  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature,  and  Dr.  James  B.  McClellan,  both 
men  of  the  highest  character.  During  this  conversation  Dr. 
McClellan  left  us  and  walked  over  to  a  small  ffatherine:  of 
men  about  sixty  yards  distant,  who  were  discussing  the  ordi- 
nary topics  of  the  day.  In  a  little  while  Dr.  McClellan  came 
back,  walking  quickly,  and  manifesting  considerable  excite- 
ment. He  made  substantially  the  following  statement  :  '  Just 
now,  while  I  was  talking  to  Daniel  Hoke,  Frederick  Barr, 
and  others,  Barr  suddenly  raised  his  hands  in  great  excitement 
and  said  something  in  German  which  the  rest  of  us  except 
Daniel  Hoke  did  not  understand.  "We  all  asked  Daniel  Hoke 
what  was  the  matter  with  Barr — what  it  was  he  had  said  ? 
"Why,"  answered  Hoke,  pointing  to  Peter  S.  Ney,  who, 
with  Colonel  Thomas  Allison,  was  then  walking  past  us  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  "  he  says,  '  Yonder  is  Marshal 
Ney.  They  told  me  he  was  sliot  ;  but  he  was  not.  Yonder 
he  is.    I  know  him,  for  I  fought  under  him  off  and  on  for 


214         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

five  or  six  years,  in  Napoleon's  wars.'  "  This  information 
greatly  staggered  Mr.  Young  and  myself.  We  had  occasion- 
ally heard  the  reports  that  some  persons  believed  Peter  S.  Ney 
was  Marshal  Ney,  but  we  had  attached  little  importance  tu 
them.  We  had  no  faith  in  them  ;  but  we  could  no  longer 
doubt  the  truth  of  these  reports.  Both  of  us  knew  Barr,  and 
had  known  him  for  years,  and  we  believed  him  to  be  an  hon- 
est, reliable,  truthful  man.  He  certainly  bore  that  reputation 
in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  Barr  was  a  German, 
and  talked  English  very  brokenly  indeed.  He  had  several 
wounds  which  he  said  (long  before  he  saw  P.  S.  Ney  in  1840) 
he  had  received  in  the  Napoleonic  wars.  He  was  a  very  brave 
man,  and  would  permit  no  one  to  doubt  his  word  or  cast  the 
shghtest  imputation  upon  his  honor.  He  drank  too  much  beer 
at  times.  That  was  his  chief  infirmity.  Daniel  Hoke  (upon 
whose  farm  Barr  lived)  was  a  cousin  of  the  Hon.  Michael 
Hoke,  a  distinguished  lawyer,  and  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
wealth,  and  influence.  He  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  German  language,  and  he  and  Barr  frequently  talked  with 
each  other  in  that  language.  Hoke  had  the  highest  opinion 
of  Barr  as  an  honest,  industrious,  truthful,  and  generally  sober 
tenant.  After  Barr's  declaration  about  Peter  S.  Ney,  Hoke 
said  he  was  compelled  to  believe  that  P.  S.  Ney  was  Marshal 
Ney.  A  short  time  after  Barr's  statement  at  the  political 
meeting  in  reference  to  P.  S.  Ney,  he  suddenly  left  the 
county,  and  went,  1  think,  to  Indiana — certainly  somewhere 
out  West.  No  one  knew  why  he  left.  His  sudden  departure 
puzzled  his  neighbors.  Hoke  valued  him  highly  as  a  tenant ; 
he  was  prosperous  and  contented,  every  one  respected  him, 
he  was  in  no  trouble  of  any  kind,  and  his  neighbors  could  not 
imagine  why  he  should  suddenly  leave  the  county  and  remove 
to  a  distant  part  of  the  country.  It  was  reported  that  Daniel 
Hoke  helped  him  to  get  off — furnished  him  with  money,  etc. 
Possibly  P.  S.  Ney's  friends  had  something  to  do  with  his  re- 
moval.*    I  never  heard  from  Barr  afterward. 

"  Peter  S.  Ney,  as  I  remember  him,  looked  somewhat  like 

*  It  is  very  probable. 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  215 

Judge  Armfield.  Armfield's  forehead  is  not  as  high  and  full 
as  Ney's,  especially  the  upper  part  of  his  forehead.  His  eyes, 
too,  are  different.  Still,  there  is  some  resemblance.  P.  S. 
Ney  also  bore  some  resemblance  to  the  Rev.  Henry  Nelson 
Pharr,  Presbyterian  clergyman  (with  whom  Mr.  Ney  was 
quite  intimate),  and  to  Sidney  E.  Morse,  the  first  editor  of 
the  New  York  Observer ^ 

Rev.  R.  W.  Barber,  Wilkesborough,  N.  C.  (1888)  :  "In 
the  year  1846,  not  long  before  Christmas,  in  company  with 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Gries,  I  was  at  the  house  of  Major  E.  P.  Miller, 
in  Caldwell  County.  We  were  there  several  days,  and  while 
there,  Mr.  Gates  (Getz),  a  well-known  teacher  of  Caldwell 
County,  came  in  and  spent  the  most  of  one  afternoon.  As  he 
was  a  native  German,  and  Mr.  Gries,  as  he  termed  himself, 
a  '  Pennsylvania  Dutchman,'  they  seemed  to  enjoy  a  great 
deal  of  conversation,  of  which  the  rest  of  us  were,  perhaps 
blissfully,  ignorant.  There  were  intervals,  however,  when 
they  conversed  in  English.  Mr.  Gries  had  heard  of  P.  S. 
Ney,  and  seemed  to  be  impressed  with  the  claim  of  his  being 
Marshal  Ney.  Up  to  that  time  I  did  not  share  the  impres- 
sion. In  the  course  of  conversation  he  mentioned  the  matter, 
and  asked  Gates  what  he  thought  of  it.  To  which  Gates  re- 
plied, '  Poll  !  old  hypocrite, '  repeating  the  epithet  very  con- 
temptuously three  times.  He  then  went  on  to  state  his  rea- 
sons. 1  will  endeavor  for  the  sake  of  brevity  to  use  his  own 
language,  and  will  write  in  the  first  person.  He  went  on  to 
say  :  '  Some  years  ago  I  was  in  search  of  a  situation  as  a 
schoolteacher,  and  was  advised  to  go  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Graham,  in  Lincoln  County.  Soon  after  my  arrival  I  pre- 
sented my  letters  of  recommendation  from  various  persons, 
whose  patronage  I  had  before  enjoyed.  Mr.  Graham  rephed 
that  some  weeks  before  they  wanted  a  teacher,  as  I  had  been 
informed,  but  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  one  with 
whom  they  were  well  pleased.  He  went  on  to  state  his  name 
and  claim  sometimes  made.  He  then  asked  me  if  I  had  ever 
seen  Marshal  Ney.  To  this  I  replied,  "  Oiice  and  only  once.'''' 
"  Do  you  have  any  distinct  recollection  of  his  appearance,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  detect  the  same  in  one  now  claimina:  to  be  the 


216         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

marshal  ?"  I  replied  that  the  impression  made  on  mj  mind 
bj  the  looks  and  bearing  of  Marshal  Ney  was  indelible.  He 
was  a  German  by  birth,  and  having  then,  when  I  saw  him, 
attained  very  eminent  distinction,  I  eyed  him  closely.  Mr. 
Graham  proposed  that  I  should  have  a  personal  and  private 
interview  with  Mr.  Ney.  To  this  I  assented,  and  he  sent  a 
servant  to  ask  Mr.  Ney  to  come  into  the  sitting-room,  as  a 
gentleman  from  the  old  country  wished  to  see  him.  Ney 
very  soon  made  his  appearance,  and,  as  he  stepped  into  the 
room,  the  ijiarks  of  identity  were  so  strong  that  I  said  to 
myself,  "It  is  no  farce,  this  must  be  the  identical  Marshal 
Ney,"  We  had  a  prolonged  conversation.  I  drew  him  out 
in  conversation  about  parts  of  Germany  with  which  I  knew, 
if  he  was  Marshal  Ney,  he  must  be  familiar.  I  found  him 
not  only  familiar  with  the  topography  of  the  sections,  but 
with  families  whose  names  had  not  found  a  place  in  history 
or  in  fame.  The  conviction  was  overpowering.  I  drew  my 
chair  close  to  him,  and  in  a  low  tone  of  voice  said,  "  Are  you 
not  Marshal  Ney?"  Upon  my  saying  this,  or  asking  this 
question,  the  old  hypocrite,  as  I  now  felt  that  he  was,  sealed 
his  lips,  arose  from  his  chair,  and  placing  his  hands  behind 
him  under  his  surtout  coat,  walked  ofE  to  his  room,  not  mak- 
ing his  appearance  any  more  during  my  stay.'  *  This  is 
Gates's  statement  as  accurately  as  I  can  remember  and  relate 
it. 

"  I  never  saw  P.  S.  Ney.  Whatever  imjDressions  I  have 
were  derived  from  intelligent  persons  who  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  him.  By  conversations  with  them  I  have  been 
convinced  that  those  entertaining  the  notion  of  P.  S.  Ney's 
identity  with  Marshal  Ney  cannot  be  justly  deemed  mere 
victims  of  a  pleasing  illusion,  or  liable  to  the  charge  of 
credulity.  It  is  not  true  that  he  alluded  to  his  identity  with 
Marshal  Ney  only  when  in  his  cups.     These  were  generally 

*  I  care  little  for  Mr.  Gates's  opinion.  His  testimony  is  valuable,  for 
those  who  knew  him  well  say  that  his  character  for  truth  was  unimpeach- 
able. Mr.  Gates  fully  believed  that  P.  S.  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney  until  his 
pride  was  touched,  and  then  he  called  him  an  old  hypocrite.  Had  P.  S. 
Ney  been  an  impostor,  it  is  clear  that  he  would  have  acted  differently 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED?  217 

his  occasions  for  asserting  it  ;  but  lie  asserted  it  to  several 
individuals  when  cool  sober.  My  brother,  Colonel  William 
Barber,  was  his  pupil,  and  a  favorite  one.  Under  him  he 
read  Caesar's  Commentaries.  He  told  me  at  the  time,  and 
many  years  afterward,  that  Caesar  was  the  old  man's  favorite 
classic  ;  that  during  recitations  he  would  discuss  Caesar's 
strategic  movements  with  a  freedom  and  apparent  ability 
which  no  one  but  a  military  man  could  or  would  have  done  ; 
that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  comparing  or  contrasting  them 
with  those  of  Napoleon  on  various  occasions,  and,  incident- 
ally, and  with  apparent  unconsciousness,  would  state  his  own 
part  in  the  drama.  My  brother  may  be  said  to  have  been 
one  of  those  who  cherished  the  pleasing  ilhision.  It  may 
have  been  attributed  to  childish  credulity,  for  he  was  then 
only  thirteen  years  of  age.  But  after  going  through  college, 
studying  law,  and  entering  the  practice  of  it,  he  said  to  the 
last  that  time  and  reflection  had  not  effaced  in  the  least  his 
impressions." 

Dr.  J.  G.  Ramsay,  Cleveland,  N.  C,  1887  :  "  I  knew 
P.  S.  Ney.  It  seems  to  me  to  be  more  difficult  to  say  who 
he  was  than  to  believe  he  was  Marshal  !Ney.  I  once  asked 
Dr.  Locke  how  he  came  to  let  Ney  die.  Locke  replied,  '  He 
wouldn't  take  the  medicines  I  prescribed  for  him  ;  took  only 
such  as  pleased  him  ;*  said  it  was  no  use,  etc.  I  was  ac- 
quainted with  Snyder,  who  recognized  him  as  Marshal  I^ey  in 
Statesville.  Snyder  was  an  honest,  truthful  man.  The  Hon. 
Burton  Craige,  M.C.,  of  Salisbury,  told  me  once  that  he 
believed  P.  S.  ISTey  was  an  Irishman,  and  educated  for  a 
Roman  Catholic  priest.  I  do  not  remember  that  he  stated 
why  he  thought  so." 

Dr.  Daniel  Burton  Wood,  Elmwood,  K  C.  (1888)  :  "  I 
knew  P.  S.  Ney.  His  physique  was  almost  perfect,  A 
phrenologist  would  have  gloried  in  his  head — large,  finely 
shaped,  full  of  brains,  and  well  developed.  His  whole  ex- 
pression and  bearing  were  simply  magnificent.  He  was  a 
born  leader  of  men.     I  once  saw  in  the  Enmenean  Society, 

*  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena  would  not  take  O'Meara's  medicines  ;  said, 
"It's  no  use.     One's  days  are  numbered,"  etc. 


218         WA8  MABSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

Davidson  College,  a  book  on  the  Frencli  Revolution  (I  forget 
the  title)  which  contained  quite  a  number  of  marginal  notes 
by  P.  S.  l^ey.  In  these  notes  Mr.  Ney  corrected  several 
historical  errors,  and  explained  other  points  which  needed 
elucidation.  The  Rev.  Barnabas  Scott  Krider,  who  was  edu- 
cated at  Davidson  College,  said  P.  S.  'Nej  borrowed  the  book 
and  returned  it  with  the  annotations.  The  day  after  Mr. 
Key's  death  I  rode  over  to  Mr.  Osborne  Foard's,  and  went 
into  the  room  where  Mr.  Ney  was  laid  out  for  burial.  I 
placed  my  hand  upon  his  ample,  noble  forehead,  and  said  to 
myself,  '  Can  it  be  possible  that  I  have  my  hand  upon  the 
forehead  of  the  "  Bravest  of  the  brave"  ? '  I  was  deeply 
affected  by  the  thought.    He  looked  grand  even  in  death." 

Dr.  James  M.  Spainhour,  Lenoir,  K  C.  (1888)  :  "My 
father,  Noah  Spainhour,  who  died  in  Caldwell  County  in 
1881,  was  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.  He  met  him  in 
Rowan  County  in  1846,  a  short  time  before  P.  S.  Joey's 
death.  He  said  in  substance  :  '  In  the  summer  of  1846  I 
went  to  Salisbury,  N".  C,  for  the  purpose  of  employing  Miss 
Emma  J.  Baker  to  teach  school  in  Lenoir.  She  had  previously 
taught  in  Lenoir,  and  was  then  staying  with  her  brother 
Alfred,  who  lived  in  Salisbury.  In  passing  through  Rowan 
County  I  lost  my  way,  and  asked  the  first  man  I  met  to  show 
me  the  road  to  Salisbury.  He  asked  me  who  I  was,  and 
where  I  lived.  I  said,  "  My  name  is  Spainhour,  and  I  live 
in  Caldwell  County,"  ''Spainhour,  /Spainhour,^^  said  he, 
repeating  the  name  slowly  and  reflectively.  "  Why,  I  had 
some  soldiers  of  that  name  in  my  command  in  Switzerland." 
"  Yery  probable,"  I  said,  "  for  my  family  came  from  Swit- 
zerland, and  we  have  several  relatives  in  that  country."  He 
then  asked  me  to  go  home  with  him  ;  said  it  was  nearly  dark, 
and  Mr.  Foard,  the  gentleman  with  whom  he  boarded,  would 
be  glad  to  entertain  me.  I  accepted  his  invitation.  After 
supper  he  asked  me  to  walk  out  with  him  into  the  grove,  not 
far  from  the  house.  I  did  so,  and  we  had  quite  a  long  talk. 
He  said  he  thought  he  had  three  soldiers  named  Spainhour 
belonging  to  his  command  in  Switzerland  ;  that  he  had  a  dis- 
tinct recollection  of  the  name.     He  then  told  me  that  Marshal 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  219 

Ney  had  command  of  Bonaparte's  troops  in  Switzerland,  and 
that  he  was  not  executed,  as  history  states  that  he  was.  He 
said  the  arrangement  was  that  the  soldiers  detailed  to  exe- 
cute him  were  not  to  fire  until  they  heard  the  word  of 
command  from  the  marshal  himself  ;  that  he  was  to  fall  while 
giving  the  command  fire,  so  that  the  balls  might  pass  over 
him.  This  arrangement  was  carried  out.  He  was  quickly 
taken  up  and  carried  to  a  neighboring  hosjDital.  He  then 
disguised  himself,  made  his  way  to  the  coast,  and  sailed  to 
the  United  States.  He  said  that  when  he  walked  to  the  place 
appointed  for  his  execution  he  had  in  his  left  bosom  a  bag  of 
red  fluid  resembling  blood,  and  that  when  he  struck  his  hand 
upon  his  heart  or  breast  in  giving  the  command  ^re,  the  bag 
bursted,  and  the  fluid  spurted  over  his  person,  etc.  I  think 
he  also  told  me  that  he  went  on  board  the  boat  which  carried 
him  to  America  disguised  as  a  servant,  carrying  a  valise.  His 
clothes  did  not  fit  him,  and  it  made  him  mad.  They  were 
too  small  for  him.  During  the  voyage  he  said  he  was  recog- 
nized by  an  old  soldier  who  had  been  in  the  Napoleonic  wars, 
and  that  when  they  reached  Charleston  he  remained  on  board 
the  vessel  until  the  old  soldier  had  gotten  off  and  disappeared. 
He  saw  him  leave  from  the  cabin  window. 

' '  I  have  heard  my  father  make  this  statement  more  than 
once,  and  I  cannot  be  mistaken  as  to  its  substantial  accuracy. 
My  father  further  stated  that  P.  S.  Ney  told  him  that  Mar- 
shal J!^ey  was  then  living,  but  he  would  not  say  positively  that 
he  was  Marshal  Ney." 

Valentine  Stirewalt,  Davidson  College,  N.  C.  (1894)  :  "  1 
went  to  school  to  P.  S.  Ney  in  1842.  He  boarded  at  my 
father's,  and  I  saw  him  often — sometimes  had  long  talks  with 
him  in  his  room.  He  was  fond  of  his  toddy,  and  my  father 
gave  him  a  dram  every  morning  for  breakfast.  He  didn't 
drink  much  at  a  time,  and  he  rarely  went  beyond  proper 
bounds.  I  appeared  to  be  one  of  his  favorites,  and  he  would 
occasionally  talk  to  me  about  his  past  life.  He  once  told  me 
he  was  Marshal  Ney,  and  how  he  escaped.  He  said  that  when 
he  marched  out  for  execution  he  had  in  his  bosom  a  sack  of 
red  fluid,  and  that  when  he  gave  the  command  to  fire  he 


220         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

struck  the  sack  with  his  right  hand,  and  the  liquid  spurted  out 
on  his  face  and  clothing.  He  fell,  and  appeared  to  be  dead. 
He  was  taken  up  and  carried  off,  and  finally  escaped  to  the 
United  States." 

R.  A.  Henderson,  attorney-at-law,  Topeka,  Kan,  :  "I  was 
born  in  England  ;  was  educated  at  the  Royal  Military  College, 
and  served  three  years  in  the  regular  army.  My  grandfather 
(Robert  Laird)  was  an  English  soldier  in  the  Peninsular  War 
and  at  "Waterloo.  In  the  Peninsular  "War  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Eighty-eighth  Regiment,  known  as  the  Connaught 
Rangers,  and  at  Waterloo  he  was  a  sergeant  in  the  celebrated 
Sixth  Inniskillen  Dragoons,  who  were  almost  annihilated  in 
their  charge  against  the  cuirassiers.  After  the  battle  of 
Waterloo  he  went  to  France,  and  remained  there  with  the 
army  of  occupation.  He  was  one  of  the  persons  representing 
the  English  army,  appointed  to  witness  the  execution  of  N^ey. 
I  have  heard  him  say  often  that  ISTey  was  not  executed — that 
he  saw  the  muskets  discharged,  saw  Ney  fall,  viewed  the 
body,  saw  it  taken  up  and  carried  away,  saw  it  in  the  hospital, 
but  that  JSTey  was  not  hurt  ;  that  the  so-called  execution  was  a 
farce.  He  always  affirmed  this  in  the  most  positive  manner. 
Said  I'Tey's  fall  was  not  natural,  and  that  the  supposed  bullet 
marks  upon  his  person  were  artificial.  I  think  he  also  stated 
that  some  Prussians  were  present  at  the  scene.  My  impres- 
sion is  that  he  said  the  guns  contained  blank  cartridges.  The 
report  made  by  the  commission,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
to  the  military  authorities  was  tliis  :  '  Marshal  Ney  was  not 
shot. '  I  may  be  mistaken  as  to  some  minor  matters,  but  the 
essential  facts  are  as  I  have  given  them.  My  grandfather  was 
a  man  of  approved  courage.  He  had  a  great  many  medals 
which  were  given  to  him  for  gallantry  in  the  Peninsular  War 
and  at  Waterloo.  He  was  born  in  Fermanagh,  six  miles  from 
Inniskillen,  Ireland,  and  was  very  old  when  he  died.  While 
in  the  army  he  kept  a  private  diary,  which  he  bequeathed  to 
me.  I  have  it  among  my  books  in  Canada.  In  that  diary 
will  be  found  a  confirmation  of  what  I  have  said  and  other  de- 
tails of  the  alleged  execution. 

"  My  grandfather  further  said  that  at  the  time  of  the  so- 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  231 

called  execution  it  was  the  common  talk  in  the  army  and  else- 
where that  I^ey  was  not  shot. ' ' 

Correspondent  of  the  St.  Louis  Republic,  Rocliejiort,  Mo. 
(1891)  :  "Major  Thomas  W.  Sampson,  of  Rocheport,  gives 
some  very  interesting  facts  in  regard  to  the  mysterious  N^ey 
which  seem  to  establish  the  fact  conclusively  that  he  was  not 
shot  on  that  dismal  and  foggy  morning  when  so  many  brave 
men  fell  victims  to  the  merciless  decree  of  the  French  Council 
of  Peers.  Major  Sampson  states  that  the  late  George  H.  C. 
Melody,  of  St.  Louis,  spent  several  weeks  in  Paris,  France,  in 
1845,  during  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe,  King  of  the  French. 
His  Majesty  extended  to  the  American  commoner  many  tokens 
of  friendship  in  recognition  of  courtesies  extended  to  the  king 
by  Mr.  Melody  in  St.  Louis  during  the  king's  exile  years 
before. 

"  In  the  course  of  a  confidential  conversation  during  this 
visit,  Mr.  Melody  asked  Louis  Philippe  the  question  :  '  Is 
the  statement  in  history  that  Marshal  Ney  was  shot  true  ? ' 

"  The  king  replied  :  '  Mr.  Melody,  I  know  the  fact  that 
you  are  one  of  the  highest  Masons  in  America.  I  am  known 
as  one  of  the  most  exalted  Masons  in  Europe.  Marshal  ISTey 
held  a  position  among  Masons  equal  to  either  of  us.  The 
prisons  were  full  of  men  condemned  to  be  shot.  These  men 
were  daily  being  marched  out  to  meet  their  fate.  Some  other 
man  may  have  filled  the  grave  intended  for  Marshal  Ney.' 
Mr.  Melody  rephed  very  quietly  :  '  May  it  please  your  Majesty, 
Ney  was  not  shot. '  "  * 

Mrs.  E.  D.  Austin,  Mocksville,  K.  C.  (1888)  :  "  When 
Peter  S.  Ney  tauglit  school  near  Mocksville,  N.  C,  about  the 
year  1834  or  1835,  he  lived  very  near  my  house,  and  I  fre- 
quently saw  him.  My  husband,  Colonel  E.  D.  Austin,  had  a 
carpenter  shop  not  far  from  the  house,  and  was  often  called 
upon  to  furnish  coffins  for  persons  who  had  died  in  the  town 

*  The  Rev.  Dr.  Basil  G.  Jones  states  that  P.  S.  Ney  told  him  that  the 
'  ancient  fraternity  aided  in  his  escape  frona  the  first."     Hon.  John  S. 
Henderson,  Salisbury,  N.  C,  says  :  "I  have  heard  my  father  say  that 
Peter  S.  Ney  was  a  Mason."     Wellington  was  a  Mason.     Comment  is  un- 
necessary. 


222         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED? 

or  the  surrounding  country.  Mr.  ISey  would  sometimes  go 
into  the  shop  and  sit  down  and  talk  with  Colonel  Austin  and 
his  workmen.  One  night,  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock, 
while  they  were  engaged  in  making  a  coffin  for  a  person  who 
had  recently  died  near  the  town,  Mr.  I^ey  walked  into  the 
shop  to  see  what  was  going  on.  He  had  been  drinking  a  lit- 
tle, but  he  was  by  no  means  intoxicated.  One  of  the  work- 
men, who  was  much  attached  to  Mr.  Ney,  said  to  him,  '  Mr, 
Ney,  we  are  making  a  coffin  for  a  man  just  about  as  large  as 
you  are.  This  coffin  will  exactly  fit  you. '  '  Ah, '  said  Mr. 
]^ey,  quickly  looking  up,  '  they  thought  they  had  me  in  a 
coffin  once,  but  they  didn't.'  My  husband,  Colonel  Austin, 
heard  this  conversation,  and  related  it  to  me." 

Thomas  D.  Graham,  Davidson  College,  N.  C.  (1888)  :  "  I 
was  well  acquainted  with  Peter  S.  Ney.  I  helped  to  nurse 
him  in  his  last  illness.  He  was  sick  several  days,  and  I  sat 
up  with  him  every  other  night.  I  saw  him  die,  shaved  him, 
and  helped  to  dress  him  and  bury  him.  He  had  wounds  all 
over  his  body — I  don't  remember  how  many.  He  had  a  scar 
on  the  left  side  of  his  head,  one  on  his  breast,  one  on  his 
thigh,  one  on  his  arm,  and  one  in  the  calf  of  his  leg.  He 
would  ask  those  who  waited  on  him  to  rub  his  leg  for  the 
cramp,  but  to  be  careful,  for  there  was  a  ball  in  the  calf  of 
his  leg  which  sometimes  gave  him  pain.  He  had  many  other 
scars,  but  I  have  forgotten  where  they  were  located  or  how 
many  there  were.  Mr.  ^^Tey  boarded  at  Mr.  Osborne  G. 
Foard's.  I  often  saw  him  there,  and  sometimes  had  long  talks 
with  him.  He  described  to  me  one  day  the  battle  of  "Water- 
loo— drew  a  plan  of  it  on  the  sand,  marked  off  the  position  of 
the  army,  also  that  of  the  English  army  ;  showed  me  how  the 
battle  was  conducted,  etc.  I  think  he  told  me  that  he  received 
the  sabre  cut  on  his  head  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo  ;  that  he 
cut  down  the  man  who  gave  him  the  blow,  but  broke  his  own 
sword  in  doing  so.  I  have  his  old  hair  trunk  and  shaving- 
box,  brush  and  strap.  During  his  last  illness  I  heard  him  say 
four  or  five  times  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  He  died  on  the 
15th  day  of  November,  1846,  about  five  or  six  o'clock  in  the 
evening.     About   ten  o'clock  in  the  mornins  Dr.  Matthew 


WAS  MARSHAL  NEY  EXECUTED  ?  223 

Locke,  his  physician,  and  one  of  his  old  pupils,  came  into  the 
room  and  said  to  him,  '  Mr,  Ney,  it  pains  me  deeply  to  tell 
yon  that  you  have  not  long  to  live. '  Mr.  Ney  looked  at  Dr. 
Locke  and  said  calmly,  '  I  know  it,  Matthew,  I  know  it.' 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Dr.  Locke  returned. 
He  was  much  affected.  '  Mr.  Ney,'  said  he,  '  you  have  but 
a  short  time  to  live,  and  we  would  like  to  know  from  your 
own  lips  who  you  are  before  you  die.'  Mr.  Ney,  perfectly 
calm  and  rational,  raised  himself  up  on  his  elbow,  and  looking 
Dr.  Locke  full  in  the  face,  said,  '  I  am  Marshal  Key  of 
France. '     Two  or  three  hours  later  he  died. 

"  Archie  Foard,  a  colored  man,  was  present  when  Mr.  Key 
told  Dr.  Locke  he  was  Marshal  Key.  Mr.  Foard,  I  think, 
was  also  present." 

Mrs.  George  F.  Shepherd,  Elm  wood,  K.  C.  (1890)  :  "  When 
Peter  S.  JSTey  died  I  was  living  at  my  old  home,  not  far  from 
the  residence  of  Osborne  G.  Foard.  A  few  hours  after  Mr. 
Key's  death  my  father  (Joseph  Irwin)  came  home,  and  said 
that  Mr.  Key  had  made  some  revelations  which  cleared  up 
the  mystery  of  his  life  ;  that  just  before  he  died  he  told  his 
friends  who  he  was,  etc.  I  was  quite  young,  but  1  distinctly 
remember  that  my  father  said  this." 

Archie  Foard  (colored),  Cleveland,  Kowan  County,  K.  C. 
(1890)  :  "  I  belonged  to  Mr.  Osborne  Foard.  Mr.  Peter  Key 
died  there,  and  I  nursed  him  while  he  was  sick.  He  was  sick, 
I  think,  about  two  weeks.  He  had  rheumatism  and  pains  in 
his  back,  with  a  good  deal  of  inflammation  at  times.  He  was 
very  thankful  for  what  I  did  for  him,  or  for  what  anybody 
did  for  him.  He  said  to  me,  '  You  are  very  good  to  me.  I 
will  reward  you  when  I  get  well. '  Sometimes  he  would  hug 
his  pillow  and  say,  '  Oh,  my  wife  !  my  wife  ! '  I  felt  so 
sorry  for  him,  for  he  was  just  as  good  to  me  and  the  other 
colored  people  as  any  man  could  be.  One  day  he  said,  '  Oh, 
I  can't  stand  it  any  longer  !  If  I  get  well  1  must  go  back  and 
see  my  wife  and  children.'  Often  when  he  was  in  pain  he 
would  say,  '  Oh,  my  God  !  '  *  not  '  Oh,  my  God  !  '  like  most 

*  M.  Batardy  said  that  when  he  told  Marshal  Ney  that  Napoleon  had 


224         WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ? 

people,  but,  '  Oh,  my  (me)  God  !  '  I  lieard  him  say  two  or 
three  times  that  he  was  Marshal  IS'ey.  I  didn't  know  who 
Marshal  Ney  was,  but  that  is  what  he  said.  He  had  wounds 
all  over  him.  I  don't  know  how  many  he  had.  He  was 
awfully  marked  up.  I  used  to  rub  his  back.  He  said  it  did 
him  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  he  would  thank  me  over  and 
over  again  for  it.  He  wasn't  out  of  his  head  at  any  time  ex- 
cept a  little  while  before  he  died.  He  said  not  long  before  he 
died  that  he  was  Marshal  l^Qj.  When  Mr.  ]^ey  was  well  he 
would  often  go  out  into  the  garden  before  breakfast  and  get  an 
onion  and  eat  it  with  a  biscuit ;  sometimes  he  would  eat  red 
pepper  with  his  biscuit.  Everybody,  white  folks  as  well  as 
colored,  looked  up  to  Mr.  E'ey  as  the  biggest  man  in  that 
country.  "We  were  all  sorter  '  jubus  '  of  him  ;  stood  off  from 
him  because  he  was  so  fur  ahead  of  us.  1  never  seed  such  a 
man. ' ' 

John  M.  Steele,  Statesville,  N.  C.  (1887)  :  ''  I  went  to 
school  to  P.  S.  ]S"ey  in  1826  and  again  in  1829.  He  had 
originally  auburn  or  reddish  hair,  but  in  1826  it  was  turning 
gray.  He  had  splendid  teeth,  but  they  were  considerably 
worn,  because  the  upper  and  lower  ones  came  evenly  together, 
one  square  upon  the  other.  He  was  without  doubt  the  great- 
est man  that  ever  lived  in  !N"orth  Carolina.  One  day  Mr. 
ITey  borrowed  a  horse  of  Mr.  Gay,  of  Iredell,  to  ride  to 
Statesville,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  "When  he  returned  he 
said  to  Mr.  Gay  in  his  deep  bass  voice,  '  This  is  a  good  horse, 
but  not  so  good  as  the  one  I  once  rode  eighty  miles,  from  dark 
to  daylight.'  At  the  close  of  the  school  in  1826  Mr.  Key  said 
to  his  pupils,  '  Stick  to  your  books  ;  read  and  study  at  home  ; 
you  have  better  advantages  than  I  had  when  I  was  a  boy. ' 
Mr.  l^ey  died  near  Third  Creek,  Rowan  County,  in  1846.  It 
was  the  common  talk  of  the  neighborhood  immediately  after 
his  death  that  he  had  told  Dr.  Locke  and  others  that  he  was 
Marshal  Ney.     I  heard  the  report  often." 

Mrs.  Osborne  G.  Foard,  Newton,  IN".  C.  (1887)  :  "  1  knew 
P.  S.  Ney  when  he  taught  school  near  Third  Creek  in  Rowan 

landed  from  Elba,  Marshal  Ney  answered,  "  O  my  God,  what  a  misfor- 
tune !" 


WAS  MARSHAL  NET  EXECUTED  ?  S35 

County.  1  remember  him  well.  He  walked  rather  briskly 
at  all  times,  even  in  going  about  the  house.  Had  small  marks 
or  spots  on  his  face,  produced,  I  suppose,  by  the  small-pox. 
Skin  a  little  rough,  though  of  a  healthy  hue.  Loved  fun  and 
jokes  "v^hen  he  had  nothing  to  do.  A  hearty  laugher  when 
anything  amused  him,  A  great  fencer.  His  sword  or  stick 
would  fly  like  lightning.  Hawk-looking  eyes,  with  a  good 
deal  of  white  in  them.  One  day  when  he  was  sick,  he  said, 
'  O  France  !  France  !  why  can't  I —  No,  I  must  not  !  ' 
Talked  rapidly  when  excited.  Had  a  wound  on  his  arm  be- 
tween shoulder  and  elbow  so  deep  that  the  flesh  appeared  to 
adhere  to  the  bone.  He  had  an  Irish  brogue,  a  deep,  rolling 
voice.  I  have  his  writing-desk,  comb,  and  knife.  He  had  a 
fine  sword,  with  the  point  broken  off  ;  but  1  do  not  know  what 
became  of  it.  1  have  seen  it  often.  It  was  highly  polished, 
as  bright  as  new  silver,  with  a  richly  ornamented  hilt.  About 
one  fourth  of  the  sword  was  broken  off.  Mr.  Ney  noticed 
everything.  Mr.  Foard  used  to  say,  '  "What  Mr.  Ney  couldn't 
see  was  not  worth  seeing. '  Mr.  Foard  was  very  sorry  that  he 
allowed  Phny  Miles  to  carry  off  Mr.  Ney's  shorthand  manu- 
script. Mr.  Foard  wrote  to  Mr.  Miles  about  the  document, 
and  he  replied  that  he  would  return  it  after  awhile.  Some 
months  afterward  Mr.  Foard  wrote  again  to  Pliny  Miles,  but 
he  received  no  answer  to  his  second  letter.  The  manuscript 
was  never  returned.  Mr.  Foard  had  the  monument  put  to 
Mr.  Ney's  grave,  and  my  impression  is  that  he  and  Colonel 
Austin  composed  the  inscription.  I  have  frequently  heard 
Mr.  Foard  speak  of  Mr.  Ney's  last  illness,  and  of  his  dying 
declaration  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  He  said  in  substance 
that  not  long  before  Mr.  Ney  died,  Dr.  Locke  approached  his 
bedside  and  said,  '  Mr.  Ney,  I  have  done  everything  for  you 
that  I  could  do,  and  it  grieves  me  to  tell  you  that  I  do  not 
think  you  can  possibly  get  well.  "We  would  like  to  know  who 
you  are  before  you  die.'  Mr.  Ney  answered,  'I  might  as 
well  tell  you.     I  am  Marshal  Ney  of  France.'  " 


CAST   OF  SKI  LL  A>;U   LOWEPt  MAXILLARY   OF   P.   S.   >'EY,   EXHUMED  MAY  3,   1S87 
(Taksn  by  Dr.  Laugenour,  Statesvllle,  N.  C.) 


NOTE. 

The  body  of  P.  8.  Ney  was  exhumed  on  tlie  3d  day  of  May,  1887.  The 
physicians  present  say  : 

"  The  undersigned  pliysieians  ^vish  to  state  that,  according  to  a  previous 
notice,  we  did  to-day  cause  to  be  exhumed  the  remains  of  P.  S.  Ney  in  the 
presence  of  a  great  number  of  witnesses,  some  of  them  from  Washington 
City,  Raleigh,  and  other  parts  of  the  country.  We  found  some  of  the  bones 
only,  and  these  in  a  state  of  such  decay  that  we  cannot  state  positively 
whether  the  skull  had  ever  been  trepanned  or  not.  We  made  diligent 
search  for  bullets  said  to  have  lodged  in  the  body,  but  found  none.  We 
succeeded  so  far,  however,  as  to  ascertain  that  the  skeleton  was  about  five 
feet  ten  inches  long,  and  the  skull  around  about  the  eyes  about  twenty -four 
inches  in  circumference. 

"  (Signed)  J.  G.  Ramsay,  M.D., 

D.  B.  Wood,  M.D., 
S.  W.  Stevenson,  M.D., 
James  McGuire,  M.D., 
C.  M.  Pool,  M.D., 
S.  W.  Eaton,  M.D., 
Thomas  E.  Anderson,  M.D., 
J.  H.  Wolff,  M.D., 
J.  B.  Gaither,  M.D. 

"  Third  Creek  Church,  N.  C,  May  3,  1887." 

The  inscription  on  P.  S.  Ney's  tombstone  is  as  follows  : 

In  Memory  of 

PETER   STUART  NEY, 

A  Native  of  France  and  Soldier  op  the  French  Revolution 

Under  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 

Who  Departed  this  Life 

November  Ioth,  1846, 

Aged  77  Years. 

[OVE.!.] 


Brief  Description  of  Lower  Maxillary  by  Dr.  J.  II.   Wolff. 

"The  body  or  anterior  jjart  of  the  inferior  maxillary  bone  (lower  jaw- 
bone) was  found  in  a  better  state  of  preservation  than  the  other  bones  of  the 
skull.  That  part  of  the  bone  on  the  right  side,  posterior  to  the  location 
of  the  second  molar  (jaw  tooth),  and  on  the  left  side  posterior  to  the  first 
molar  (jaw  tooth),  was  missing.  The  dimensions,  shape,  etc  ,  indicated  a 
lower  jaw  developed  somewhat  above  the  average  of  the  human  race — the 
chin  being  prominent,  bordering  on  protrusion.  The  sockets  (receptacles 
for  the  teetii)  were  well  marked,  showing  tliat  the  full  complement  of  teeth 
were  present  in  this  jaw  when  the  subject  died,  except  the  second  inferior 
molar  on  the  light  side,  which  had,  no  doubt,  been  remov^ed,  as  the  soft 
bone  which  encases  the  teeth  had  been  absorbed  and  a  smooth  surface  left 
on  the  bone  proper.  The  left  inferior  lateral  incisor  cuspid,  first  and  sec- 
ond bicuspids  were  the  teeth  found  intact,  the  others  having  been  dislodged 
evidently  in  removing  the  skull  from  the  grave. 

"The  teeth  were  in  a  better  state  of  preservation  than  other  parts  found, 
showing  that,  notwithstanding  they  had  done  duty  as  grinders  for  sev- 
enty-seven 3'ears,  and  had  lain  in  the  ground  forty  years,  they  yet  served 
as  signboards  to  point  out  certain  characteristics  and  to  tell  of  the  mal- 
formation of  their  owner.  To  be  plainer,  the  teeth  being  evenly  abraded 
or  worn  dow  n  half  the  length  of  the  crowns  indicate  the  closing  of  the 
teeth  of  the  upper  jaw  directly  upon  those  below  instead  of  the  anterioi 
teeth  closing  over,  sci.s,sors  fashion,  which  is  normal. 

"  The  abnormal  articulation  of  the  teeth  accounts  for  the  slight  protru 
sion  of  the  lower  jaw  heretofore  referred  to." 


DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 
AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY. 


Mr.  Kobekt  Macfaklan,  attorney-at-law,  Florence,  S.  C, 
has  in  his  hbrary  a  vakiable  book  which  once  belonged  to 
Peter  S.  J^Tey.  This  book  was  written  by  Dr.  Barry  E. 
O'Meara,  and  is  entitled  "  JSTapoleon  in  Exile  ;  or,  a  Voice 
from  St.  Helena."  It  is  in  two  volumes,  and  was  published 
by  Carey  &  Lea,  Philadelphia,  in  1822.  Each  volume  con- 
tains several  marginal  annotations  in  P.  S.  Ney's  handwriting. 
P.  S.  Ney  wrote  his  name  once  in  Yol.  I.  and  twice  in 
Yol.  II. 

The  notes  by  P.  S.  Ney  are  copied  literally  from  the  book, 
exactly  as  they  were  written,  and  are  here  printed  in  italics. 

Enough  of  the  text  is  given  to  make  the  notes  intelligible. 

NOTES  IN    ''NAPOLEON  IN  EXILE,"  YOL.  I. 

"  '  I  never  knew  anything  about  that  document  until  it  was 
read  to  the  troops.  It  is  true  that  I  sent  him  orders  to  obey 
me.  What  could  he  do  ?  His  troops  abandoned  him. '  " ' — 
Page  16. 

P,  S.  Net's  Note. — '  The  Beturn  was  meditated  prior  to  N.  Bonaparte's 
quitting  fontainbleau  for  Elba,  and  when  Napoleon  re-landed,  Ney  used  all 
Ms  influence  to  induce  his  Division  to  join  the  Emperor  .  .  .  /  /  /  which 
they  hesit  ...  * 

"  Nor  since  I  knew  him  had  he  ever  taken  more  than  a 
very  small  cnp  of  coflfee  after  each  repast,  and  at  no  other 
time.     I  have  also  been  informed  by  those  who  have  been  in 

*  Unfortunately  the  book  was  rebound,  and  some  of  the  most  important 
notes  were  cut  off. 


228  D0CJJMENTAR7  EVIDENCE 

his  service  for  fifteen  years,  that  he  had  never  exceeded  that 
quantity  since  they  first  knew  him.'" — Page  17. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  This  is  a  mistake* 

"  He  smiled  and  said,  'Sarehhe  difficile  a  credere.^  "  ' — Page 
115. 
'  P.  S.  Net's  Note. — (Shorthand). 

''  '  At  Moscow  the  fire  advanced,  seized  the  Chinese  and 
India  warehouses  ;  .  .  .  most  terrific  sight  the  world  ever 
beheld  !  ! '     Allons  docteur.'  "—Page  127.  f- 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Grand. 

"  '  There  was  a  Major  Douglas'  who  behaved  very  gallantly 
at  Acre.'  "—Page  135. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Sir  John  Douglas. 

"  '  If  the  government  I  established  had  remained — best 
thing  that  ever  happened  for  Spain.'  "  ' — Page  136. 

p.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  True. 

"  'But  Soult  did  not  betray  Louis,  as  has  been  supposed, 
nor  was  he  privy  to  my  return  and  landing  in  France.  .  .  . 
Were  I  on  his  jury*.  .  .  Ney  stated  1  told  him  so — that 
Soult  was  privy  to  my  return.  As  to  the  proclamation 
which  Ney  said  that  I  had  sent  him,  it  is  not  true.^  I 
sent  him  nothing  but  orders.  I  would  have  stopped  the 
proclamation  had  it  been  in  my  power,  as  it  was  unworthy 
of  me.'"— Page  249. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — ^  Soult  is  alive!!!  therefore  the  policy  of  Napo- 
leon .  .  . 

^  I  do  not  know  exactly  'who  frained  the  proclamation.  But  it  assuredly 
augmented  Bonaparte's  army  from  3400  to  50,000  in  .  .  .f 

*  P.  S.  Ney  is  right.  See  "  Memoirs  of  Duchess  d'Abrantes."  When 
Napoleon  lost  Egypt  he  "  ordered  three  cups  of  coffee  in  one  hour."  On 
board  the  Northumberland,  "  coffee  was  frequently  served  up  to  him  on 
deck."  The  Monthly  Magazine  states  that  he  was  "extremely  fond  of 
coffee." 

•j-  The  Duke  de  Rovigo  states  that  an  officer  told  him  that  he  saw  Gen- 
eral Bourmont  "  drawing  up  the  proclamation  in  Marshal  Ney's  quarters." 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  229 

'^  '  He  [N^ey]  could  not  prevent  the  troops  from  joining 
me,  nor  indeed  the  peasants  ;  but  he  went  too  far.'  There 
was  no  plot,  no  understanding  with  any  of  the  generals  in 
France/  Not  one  of  these  men  knew  my  intentions.  Mouton 
Duvernet  and  others,  because  my  having  effected.'  " — Page 
250. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  An  error  !  !  !  ToomucJi  vanity  or  disgiiise.  Ney  Tmd 
as  much  influence  over  the  troops  as  any  man,  and  acted  according  to  precon- 
certed measures,  Ney  was  ordered  by  the  Bourbons  to  march  against  Napoleon 
without  coming  to  Paris,  but  he  did  corns  to  Paris  to  inform  the  Bonapartists 
of  his  design  of  .  .  .  and  to  preconcert  measures ;  then  .  .  .  intention, 
paid  his  devoirs  to  Lewis,  and  promised  to  bring  Bonaparte  to  Paris  in  an 
iron  cage.    No  man  could  use  .  .  .  to  induce  both  m  .  .  . 

'  The  scheme  of  the  plot  icas  formed  before  Bonaparte  quitted  Fountain- 
bleau  /  /  /  and  communications  beticeen  B.  and  some  of  the  generals  facili- 
tated by  Lavalette  before  Napoleon  re-landed  from  Elba  !  !  !* 

"  '  I  have  always  gone  with  the  opinions  of  great  masses  and 
with  events.  J^ai  marcM  toujours  avec  ^opinion  de  ci?iq  ou 
six  millions  d^hommes.^  Of  what  use,  then,  would  crime 
have  been  to  me  ?  .  .  .  1  am  not  uneasy  for  the  result.  Had 
1  succeeded,  I  should  have  died  with  the  reputation  of  the 
greatest  man*  that  ever  existed.  As  it  is,  my  ambition  was 
great,  and  caused  by  the  opinions  of  great  bodies.'  " — Page 
261. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — ^Tou  will  not  get  "de  cinque  ou  six  millions  de 
hommes' '  to  agree  with  you  in  tliese  assertions  and  opinions. 
'  All  admit  you  to  7uive  been  the  greatest — but  not  the  best. 

"'If  ever  policy,'  continued  he,  'authorized  a  man  to 
commit  a  crime'  .  .  .  not  only  did  I  refuse  to  consent,  but  I 
positively  prohibited  that  any  attempt  of  the  kind  should  be 
made.  .  .  .  Perhaps  my  greatest  fault  was  not  having  de- 
prived the  King  of  Prussia  of  his  throne,  which  I  might  easily 

Ney,  on  liis  trial,  said  Napoleon  sent  him  the  proclamation.  It  is  not  at 
all  probable  that  Ney  wrote  it.  The  style  is  entirely  too  bombastic  and 
■wordy.  It  sounds  like  Napoleon.  The  framework  of  it,  to  say  the  least, 
is  probably  due  to  Napoleon.  Capefigue  ("  Les  Cent  Jours")  says  it  was 
"  dictated  by  the  Emperor." 
*  See  Appendix  A. 


230  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 

liave  done.  After  Friedland  I  ought  to  have  taken  Silesia  and 
.  .  .  from  Prussia,  and  given  them  to  Saxony  .  .  .  they  would 
have  been  content.'  "  " — Page  262. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notks. — ^  Your  opinion  is  ill  founded — the  Bourbons    .  .  . 
'  This  measure  was  actually  in  agitation  after  the  battle  of  Friedland.     But 
the  solemn  engagements  and  importunities  of  the  King.  .  .  , 

"  '  Warden  has  been  incorrectly  informed  that  Maret*  was 
privy  to  my  return  to  France.  He  knew  nothing  about  it, 
and  such  a  statement  may  injure  his  relatives  in  France. 
He  has  acted  also  unguardedly  in  asserting  matters  upon  the 
authority  of  Count  and  Countess  Bertrand,  as  it  may  cause 
.  .  .  saying  that  the  information  came  from  me. '"  * — Page 
270. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — ^This  is  the  real  motive  which  induces  Napoleon  to  as- 
sert at  all  .  .  . 

"  '  Ney,'  said  he,  '  never  made  use  of  haughty  language  at 
Fontainebleau  in  my  presence  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  was  always 
submissive  before  me,  though  in  my  absence  he  sometimes 
broke  out  into  violence,  as  he  was  a  man  without  education.^ 
If  he  had  made  use  of  unbecoming  language  toward  me  at 
Fontainebleau,  the  troops  would  have  torn  him  to  pieces." 
Lavalette, '  *  added  Napoleon,  '  knew  nothing  of  my  return 
from  Elba,  or  of  what  was  hatching  there.  Madame  Lavalette 
was  of  the  family  of  Beauharnais,  She  was  a  very  fine 
woman,  Louis,  my  brother,  fell  in  love  with  her,  and  wanted 
to  have  her,  to  prevent  which  I  caused  her  to  espouse  Lava- 
lette, to  whom  she  was  much  attached.'  " — Page  289. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  He  had  a  good,  though  not  classical  education  .  .  . 

*  Indeed. 

^  Lavalette  is  alive  !  !  !  or  was  at  the  date  of  this  conversation.  It  is  very 
prudent  in  Napoleon  to  say  this — but  Lavalette  and  Ney  knew  of  and  aided 
tlie  Return. 

"Napoleon  added  that  he  had  never  told  Ney  that  he  had 
entered  France  with  the  privity  and  support  of  England  ; 

*  At  Auxerre  Napoleon  said  to  Ney,  "  "Write  to  our  friends  in  Paris. 
Write  to  Maret." 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  231 

that,  on  the  contrary,  he  had  always  disclaimed  and  repro- 
bated the  idea  of  returning  by  the  aid  of  foreign  bayonets, 
and  had  come  purposely  to  overturn  a  dynasty  upheld  by 
tliem.  That  all  he  looked  for  was  the  support  of  the  French 
nation."*— Page  289. 

"  '  Pichon  had  been  consul  in  America.  He  was  disgraced 
by  me  for  having  embezzled  three  millions.  This  Pichon 
published  a  libel  against  me,  and  was  afterward  sent  by  me  to 
London  as  a  spy — at  least,  he  was  so  far  sent  by  me  that  I 
suffered  it.  This  man  who,  in  1814,  had  written  such  a  libel 
against  me,  went,  in  1815,  as  a  spy  for  the  police  of  the  very 
person  whom  he  had  so  grossly  libelled.'  "  ' — Page  295. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notk. — '  This  is  greatly  to  be  doubted. 

"  '  I  knew  of  Bulow's  arrival'  at  eleven  o'clock  ;  but  I  did 
not  regard  it.  I  had  still  eighty  chances  out  of  a  hundred  in 
my  favor.'  " — Page  299. 

P.  S.  Key's  Note. — '  He  could  not  have  known  of  Bulow's  arrival  at  so 
early  an  hour,  for  tJie  Prussians  did  not  arrive  before  Z  P.M.,  and  tJien  the 
greater  part  of  the  reserve  were  ordered  to  oppose  .  .  . 

*' '  These  were  the  two  principal  causes  of  the  loss  of  the 
battle  of  "Waterloo  :*  (1)  Tardiness  and  neglect  of  Grouchy,  and 
(2)  the  Reserve  engaged  without  orders  and  without  my  knowl- 
edge.' "—Page  300. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  BlucJier  came  in  about  sunset  with  10,000  fresh 
troops  which  decided  the  .  .  .  xnhich  was  t7w  reason  that  Bonaparte  had  no  re- 
serve to  meet  t?ie  British  Cavalry f  .  .  .  simultaneous  movement  .  .  .  nearly 
dark  at  this  time — perhaps  Napoleon  did  not  distinctly  observe  tTie  commence- 
ment of  tliese.  .  .  .  The  fact  is,  that  on  the  retreat  of  tlie  old  guards  each 
offT.  acted  for  himself. 

*  Marshal  Ney  on  his  trial  said  that  Napoleon  wrote  to  him  that  he  had 
left  Elba  with  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  England.  Napoleon  here 
denies  the  truth  of  this  assertion.  It  is  probable  that  Napoleon  is  right, 
as  P.  S.  Ney  has  no  observation  to  make  on  Napoleon's  statement. 

t  Napoleon  himself,  it  appears,  sent  off  his  reserve,  or  the  greater  part 
of  it,  to  oppose  the  Prussians.  "Who  believes  his  statement  that  they 
"  engaged  without  orders,  and  without  his  knowledge"  f 


233  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 

' '  '  The  Doctor  in  liis  book  makes  me  say  that  I  never  com- 
mitted a  useless  crime.'  I  never  committed  a  crime.'  " — 
Page  302. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — ^  few  will  acquiesce  with  you  in  saying  that  you 
never  committed  A  crime.  It  must  be  granted  tTutt  none  in  your  situation 
could  have  committed  fewer  crimes.  It  would  be  blind  adulation  to  say 
less.     But,  "  Cur  non  dices  veritatem"  ? 

"  '  Is  this  the  result  of  the  conduct  of  a  merciless,  unfeeling 
tyrant  .  .  .  but  I  never  employed  crime  or  assassination 
to  forward  it   .    .    .    le  mensonge  jpape^  la  verite  rested    .    .    . 

like   Lord   C "    .    .    .     C^est  un   homme  ignoble.^  "  ' — 

Page  302. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Falsehood  will  die,  and  truth  live. 

'  Castlereagh. 

^  He  is  a  base  man. 

"  '  .  .  .  To  believe  that  abstaining  from  flesh  and  eating 
fish,  which  is  so  much  more  delicate  and  delicious,  constitutes 
fasting!     Poverohomo.^ 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — *  Poor  m£n. 

"  '  If  Hoche  had  arrived,  Ireland  was  lost  to  you. '  "  ' — Page 
311. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  The  ships  were  taken  by  the  British. 

"  '  If  the  Irish  had  sent  over  honest  men  to  me,  I  would 
have  certainly  made  an  attempt  upon  Ireland.'  But  I  had 
no  confidence.   .   .  .'  " — Page  312. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — ^  Naper  Tandy  was  an  intelligent,  active  man,  and 
an  Envoy  from  Ireland  to  France. 

"  '  The  King's  legs  are  covered  with  ulcers,  which  are  dressed 
for  him  by  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme.  He  gorges  .  .  . 
When  I  returned  to  the  Tuileries  I  found  my  apartments 
poisoned  with  the  smell  of  his  legs,  and  of  divers  sulphureous 
baths  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  using.'  "  '—Page  314. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — ^  TJiese  observations  are  beneath  the  dignity  of  Napo- 
leon, though  correct  in  point  of  fact. 


AS  TO  liBY'S  IDENTITY.  233 

"  * .  ,  .  with  the  body  of  a  beautiful  dancer,  but  per  Dio  ' 
.  .  ,  To  the  Emperor  and  to  the  Prince  de  !Neufchatel.'  "  "" 
—Page  316. 

P.  S.  Key's  Notes. — '  By  God. 
^  Marshal  BertMer. 

"  I  took  the  liberty  to  observe  that  it  might  naturally  be  sup- 
posed ,  .  .  '  Yes,'  replied  Napoleon,  '  I  would  strictly  have 
complied  with  that  treaty.  *  I  would  not  have  made  it  myself, 
but  finding  it  made  [Treaty  of  Paris],  1  would  have  adhered 
to  it. '"—Page  317. 

P.  S.  Key's  Note. — ' /«.  fact  the  Beturn  of  Napoleon  teas  preconcerted  at 
fontainbleau  before  the  signature.  .  .  . 

"1  then  asked  who  in  his  opinion  now  was  the  first.* 
.  .  .  '  Suchet,  Clausel,  Gerard  are  in  my  opinion  the  first 
of  the  French  generals.' "...  He  also  mentioned  Soult  in 
terms  of  praise.'  "  ' — Page  318. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — N.  B.  Kleber,  Dessaix,  Ney,  Duroc,  Heche,  etc,  are 
now  dead.  .  .  . 
^  Now. 
^  Me  merited  tliem. 

"  '  Before  I  went  to  Elba,  Lord  Castlereagh  said  to  Caulain- 
court,  '  Why  does  Napoleon  think  of  going  to  Elba  ?  Let 
him  come  to  England  ...  he  will  be  received  with  the 
greatest  joy,  and  be  much  better  than  at  Elba.  This,'  added 
he,  '  had  much  influence  with  me  afterward.'  "  ' — Page  321. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  And  would  have  been  accepted  then — only  for  the  se- 
cret design  formed  in  concert  with  his  officers  at  fontainbleau  to  Beturn  to 
France.  .  .  . 

"  '  .  .  .  I  should  have  extinguished  her  like  that '  (raising 
one  of  his  feet,  and  stamping  as  if  he  were  putting  out  the  snuff 
of  a  candle).  '  I  could, '  continued  he,  '  have  dethroned  the 
King  of  Prussia  or  the  Emperor  of  Austria  upon  the  slightest 
pretext  as  easily  as  I  do  this  '  (stretching  out  one  of  his  legs). 
'  I  was  then  too  powerful  for  any  man  except  myself  to  injure 
me.'  "  '—Page  322. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note.—'  This  is  tlie  true  spirit  of  the  man. 


234  DOCUMENTAltT  EVIDENCE 

"  .  .  .  Following  tenor  relative  to  Metternich  :  '  One  or 
two  lies  are  sometimes  necessary,  but  Metternich  is  all  lies — 
nothing  but  lies,  lies,  lies  from  him.'  Napoleon  laughed  and 
said  :  '  CPest  vraV  "  '—Page  323. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.—'  It  is  true. 

"'.  .  .  You  say  that  it  has  been  stipulated  that  only 
prisoners,  and  not  slaves,  are  in  future  to  be  made.  ...  I 
fear  much  that  if  any  difference  be  made  ...  I  think  that 
your  ministers  ordered  Lord  Exmouth  not  to  endeavor  to  abol- 
ish piracy  altogether,  but  merely  to  give  it  a  check,  to  punish 
the  Algerines  in  a  certain  degree. ' ' '  * — Page  325. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Solid  Bemarks. 

"  '  You  say  that  you  lost  a  thousand  men  in  killed  and  dis- 
abled, and  got  five  or  six  ships  knocked  to  pieces,  Now  the 
lives  and  limbs  of  a  thousand  brave  English  seamen  are  of 
more  value  and  consequence  than  the  whole  of  the  piratical 
States.^  Blockading  the  port  with  a  seventy-four  and  two  or 
three  frigates  under  Captains  Usher  or  Maitland  would  have 
gained  you  just  as  good  terms  as  you  have  got  without  the 
loss  of  a  man.  .  .  .' " — Page  326. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  .  .  .   Come  with  an  ill  grace  from  a  man  who  icas 
never  remarkable  for  preventing  BloodsTied. 

"  .  .  .  Lord  Cornwallis,  to  which  his  Excellency  [Lowe] 
replied  that  Lord  Cornwallis'  was  too  honest  a  man  to  deal  with 
him  !  !  !  .  .  .  This  man  never  could  have  been  brought 
up  in  good  company,  and  has  Vair^  d^un  sons  lieutenant  de 
Va/ncien  regime.'^^ — Page  328. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Lowe  confesses  his  own  ...  '^ 

'  the  manner  of  ...  old  Government. 


piai>.  XXXIX-l 


Llh'iu  OF  NAPOLEOjM  BUONAPARTE. 


ffficer  retired,  and  the  Russian  batteries  opened  a  fire  of  grape-shot,  at  the 
distance  of  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  wliile  at  the  concussion  the  mist 
arose,  and  showed  the  devoted  column  of  French,  with  a  ravine  in  front  man- 
ned by  their  enemies,  subjected  on  every  side  to  a  fire  of  artillery,  while  the 
hills  were  black  Avith  the  Russian  troops  placed  to  support  their  guns.  Far 
from  losing  heart  in  so  perilous  a  situation,  the  French  Guards,  with  rare  iji- 
trepidity,  forced  their  way  through  the  ravine  of  the  Losminu,  and  rushed  with 
the  utmost  fury  on  the  Russian  batteries.  Thry  were,  however,  charged  in 
their  turn  with  the  bayonet,  and  such  as  had  crossed  the  stream  sutfered 
dreadfully.  In  spite  of  this  failure,  Ney  persevered  in  the  attempt  to  cut  his 
passage  by  main  force  through  this  superior  body  of  Russians,  who  lay  opposed 
to  him  in  front.  Again  the  I'rench  advanced  upon  the  cannon,  losing  whole 
ranks,  which  were  supj)lied  l)y  their  comrades  as  fast  as  ihey  loll.  Tiie  assault 
was  once  more  imsuccessful,  and  Ney,  seeing  that  the  general  fate  of  liis  column 
was  no  longer  doubtful,  endeavoured  cit  least  to  save  a  jiart  irom  the  v.reck. 
Having  selected  about  four  thousand  of  tJte  he^t  nien,  he  '^pparated  himself 
from  tiie  rest,  an;!  set  I'orih  under  shelter  of  the  niglii,  moving  to  the  rear,  as 
jif  about  to  return  to  Smolensk.  This,  indeed,  was  the  only  road,  open  to  him, 
but  he  did  not  pursue  it  long;  for  as  soon  as  he  reached  a  rivulet,  which  had 
the  appearance  of  being  one  of  the  feetlers  of  tlie  Dnici)er,  he  adopted  it  for 
his  guide  to  the  banks  of  that  river,  which  he  i-eached  in  safety  near  the  village 
of  Syrokovenia.  Here  he  found  a  single  place  in  the  river  frozen  over,  though 
the  ice  was  so  thin  that  it  bent  beneath  the  steps  of  the  soldiers. 

Three  hours  were  permitted,  to  allow  stragglers  from  the  column  during  the 
night-march  to  rally  at  this  place;  should  their  good  fortune  enable  them  to  find 
it.  These  three  hours  Ney  spent  in  profound  sleep,  lying  on  tlse  banks  of  the 
river,  and  wrapped  up  in  his  cloak.  When  the  stipulated  lime  had  elapsed, 
the  passage  to  tlie  other  side  began  and  continued,  although  the  motion  of  the 
ice,  and  tlie  awful  sounds  of  its  splitting  into  large  cracks,  prevented  more  than 
one  from  crossing  at  once.  The  wagons,  some  loaded  with  sick  and  wounded, 
last  attempted  to  pass  ;  but  the  ice  broke  with  them,  and  the  heavy  plunge  and 
stifled  moaning,  apprised  their  companions  of  their  fate.  The  Cossacks,  as 
risual,  speedily  appeared  in  the  rear,  gleaned  up  some  hundreds  of  prisoner, 
nnd  took  possession  of  the  artillery  and  baggage. 

Facsimile  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Notes  in  "Life  or  Napoleon  Buonaparte,"  page  379. 


nation,  instead  ot  brutitying  them^by  ignorance  and  s 

perstition  "" 

>i  "  Those  English,"  added  he,  "  who  are  lovers  of  li- 
iberty  will  one  day  lament  with  tears  having  gained  the 
I  battle  of  Waterloo.     It  was  as  fatal  to  the  liberties  of 


S 


z; 


Facsimile  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Note  in  o  Meara's  "Napoleon  in  E.xile,"  Vol.  II.,  page  24 


AS  TO  liEY'S  IDENTITY.  235 


NOTES   IN  ''NAPOLEON  IN  EXILE,"  YOL.  H. 

"  21st  April,  1817,"  Napoleon  has  been  for  some  days  in 
very  good  spirits.  On  Saturday,  the  19th,  some  captains  ..." 
— Page  1. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Voila  Vhomrne! 

"  .  .  .  The  charlatans'  will  kill  .  .  .  Mohcre's  doc- 
tors.'"—Page  3. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '  Quacks. 
'  Women. 

"  '  When  at  Elba  the  Princess  of  Wales  informed  me  of 
her  intention  to  visit  me.  ...  1  knew  that  at  the  time  it 
could  not  fail  to  injure  the  princess  [Queen  Caroline],  and 
therefore  I  put  it  o£f.  It  is  astonishing  that  she  desired  it, 
for  she  had  no  reason  to  be  attached  to  me,  as  her  father  and 
brother  were  killed  fighting  against  me. '    She  went  afterward 

to  see  Marie  Louise  at ,*  and  I  believe  that  they  are  great 

friends.'  "—Page  21. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  JSer  Brother,  the  Due  de  Brunswick,  was  killed  on 
the  1st  day  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  at  Quatre  Bras;  subsequent  to  the 
period  alluded  to — He  was  with  Wellington's  Right  Wing  in  advance. 

*  Young  Napoleon  and  Billy  Austin,  Caroline's  adopted  son,  used  to  play 
and  frequently  fight.    Billy  was  stronger,  but  Nap  more  active. 

''  During  the  conversation  I  mentioned  that  Bernadotte' 
had  been  strongly  suspected  of  being  lukewarm  in  the  cause 
of  the  allies,  .  .  .  and  supposed  to  be  likely  to  join  him 
if  any  reverse  happened." — Page  27. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Bernadotte  was  subsidised  by  England  [with]  1  mill- 
ion per  month.  He  at  last  advanced  with  60,000  men;  to  him  was  chiefly 
owing  the  victory  at  Leipsig. 

His  previous  knowledge  of  Bonaparte's  tactics  and  Dispositions  in  Battle 
give  Mm  great  ascendency  .  .  .  Napoleon  .  .  . 

"  '  Murat's  boiling  courage  carried  him  into  the  midst  of 
the  enemy,  convert  de  jpennes  jusqu'au  docker.^  and  glitter- 
ing with  gold,    ...    he  was  a  paladin — in   fact,   a  Don 


236  BOCUMENTABT  EVIDENCE 

Quixote  in  the  field  ;  but  take  him  into  the  Cabinet,  he  was 
a  poltroon,  without  judgment  or  decision.  Murat  and  Ney' 
were  the  bravest  men  1  ever  witnessed.'  " — Page  61. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Ney  could  both  act  in  the  field  and  the  Cabinet 
without  his  previous  arrangements  and  subsequent  .  .  .  observation.  Bona- 
parte  .  .  .  O'Meara  makes  Napoleon  say  that  Ney  betrayed  him  at  Fontain- 
bleau!  Bah!  Ids  having  first  joined  him  with  36,000  men  when  he  had  it  in 
Ms  power  to  capture  B.  refutes  that  insinuation. 

"  '  Murat,  however,  was  a  much  nobler  character  than  Ney. 
Murat  was  generous  and  open.  Ney  partook  of  the  canaille. '  "  ^ 
—Page  62. 
P.  S.  Ney's  Note.— 1  Bah/ 

"  Josephine  died  worth  about  eighteen  millions  of  francs."  ' 
—Page  64. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.— >  18,000,000  X  10  = 
12)180,000,000  pence 
20)15,000,000 


£150,000  sterli7ig. 

"  Josephine  was  grace  personified.  She  had  grace  even  en 
se  couchant.^     Her  toilet  was  a  perfect  arsenal." — Page  65. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  In  bed. 

"  Napoleon  gazed  on  the  statue  of  his  son  with  great  satis- 
faction and  delight,  his  face  strongly  expressive  of  paternal 
love.  No  person  who  witnessed  this  scene  could  deny  that 
Napoleon  was  animated  by  the  tender  affections  of  a  father."  ' 
—Page  66. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Yet  tTie  American  Reviewer  says  that  Napoleon  had 
no  sympathy  !    Ecce! 

"  '  What  reason  had  Murat  to  complain  of  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  who  had  behaved  generously  and  offered  him  an 
asylum  ;  ...  as  Murat  had  endeavored  to  deprive  him  of 
Italy,'  Murat  behaved  like  a  madman  ;  he  engaged  without 
judgment  in  an  expedition  without  a  plan.   ...  In  his  procla- 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.—'  Moscow. 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  237 

mations  to  the  Italians  lie  never  mentioned  my  name,  though 
he  knew  they  adored  me."  He  terminated  his  life  like  a  mad- 
man.'" =— Page  67. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes.— *  Oho!* 

*  Murat  died  like  a  Gallant  Soldier  on  the  Ruins  of  his  tJirone.  .  .  . 

"  '  I  ousrht  to  have  died  at  Waterloo.     But  the  misfortune 

o 

is,  that  when  a  man  seeks  the  most  for  death  he  cannot  find  it. 
Men  were  killed  around  me,  before,  behind,  everywhere,  but 
no  bullet  for  me.'"  '—Page  69. 
P.  S.  Net's  Note.— »  True. 

"  I  told  him  that  in  Lord 's*  speech  there  were  three 

calumnies  and  ten  lies." — Page  70. 
P.  S.  Ney's  Note.—'  B 's. 

"  'I  was  called  to  that  of  France  by  the  votes  of  nearly 
four  millions  of  Frenchmen.'  "  '—Page  72. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Polls  gave  more. 

"  The  Emperor  was  so  firmly  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
an  attempt  would  be  made  forcibly  to  intrude  on  his  privacy, 
that  ...  he  always  kept  four  or  five  loaded  pistols  and 
eome  swords  in  his  apartments,  with  which  he  was  determined 
to  dispatch  the  first  who  entered  against  his  will."  ' — Page  85. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — >  He  might  have  been  disarmed. 

'^  Napoleon  then  said  that,  notwithstanding  the  occupation 
of  Paris  by  the  allies,  he  should  still  have  succeeded  but  for 
the  treachery  of  Marmont.  He  was  to  have  entered  Paris  in 
the  dead  of  the  night, '  The  canaille  were  all  ready  (I  think 
he  also  said  he  would  have  cut  off  the  allies  from  their  park 
of  artillery)."— Page  100. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Napoleon,  Ney  and  others  did  aproach  tlie   lines 

*  P.  S.  Ney  is  right.  The  Italians  did  not  "  adore"  Napoleon.  They 
hated  him  because  of  his  tyranny  and  his  vile  treatment  of  the  Pope.  See 
Thiers'  "  History  of  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire,"  and  Ney's  letter  to 
Napoleon  after  the  battle  of  Dennewitz. 


338  DOGTIMENTART  EVIDENCE 

in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  reconnoitre*  aiul  found  it  prudent  to  retire  and 
abandon  the  plan  of  surprise. 

''  The  English  cavalry  approached  to  within  a  hundred  or 
a  hundred  and  fifty  toises  of  the  spot  where  the  Emperor  was 
standing  with  only  Soult/  Drouot,  Bertrand,  and  himself, 
.  .  .  exclaiming,  '' II  faut  Tnourir  ici,  il  faut  Tnouvir  sur 
le  champ  de  hataiile.''  "  * — Page  103. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '-  Soult  was  not  in  the  battle.     Certainly. 
'  He  shall  die  by  a  blow  at  once.     He  shall  die  on  the  field  of  Battle. 

"  ' .  .  .  or  in  the  hope  that  I  might  commit  suicide. 
The  fact  is,  that  had  it  not  been  for  their  broils  and  quarrels 
among  themselves,  1  should  never  have  thought  of  dispossess- 
ing them  '-  [the  Spaniards],  I  said  that  some  of  the  publica- 
tions against  him  asserted  that  he  had  been  the  contriver  of 
the  whole  plot."— Page  107. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Vide  Vol.  I.  The  intentions  of  Napoleon  with  re- 
gard to  Spain.  Tliese  two  statements  are  irreconcilable.  Bonaparte  cer- 
tainly .  .  . 

"  '  In  some  respects  Robespierre  may  be  said  to  have  been 
an  honest  man.^  All  the  crimes  committed  by  Hebert, 
Chaumette  .  .  .  When  I  commanded  the  Army  of  Italy, 
Barras  made  the  Venetian  Ambassador  .  .  .  with  which  I 
[here  he  made  use  of  a  most  significant  gesture],''  I  never 
paid  any  attention  to  such  letters.'  " — Page  109. 

P,  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Yes,  if  honesty  means  to  be  sincere  in  the  most  fla- 
gitious crimes  and  .  ,  . 

*  Drawn  to  the  life. 

*  We  know  certainly  that  Marshal  Ney  was  at  Fontainebleau  on  the 
night  of  April  5th.  He  had  a  long  private  interview  with  Napoleon,  and 
one  of  the  subjects  discussed  was  that  of  Marmont's  defection.  Thiers 
says,  "It  is  difficult  to  know  what  passed  in  this  interview.  Marshal 
Ney  has  left  no  written  record,  and  Napoleon  in  his  St.  Helena  memoirs 
has  observed  a  profound  silence  on  the  subject." 

It  is  very  probable  the  "  scheme  of  the  plot  to  return  from  Elba"  was 
then  considered,  and  that  the  reconnoissance  by  "  Napoleon,  Ney,  and 
others,"  was  made  during  the  night.  About  this  time  it  was  officially 
reported  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  that  Napoleon 


AS  TO  I^BY'S  IDENTITY.  239 

''  ^Barrere  ?  'parceque  c'est  un  homme  sans  caractere.^  Car- 
notj  c^est  le  plus  honnete  des  hotnmes.'^  Madame  Carapan,' 
continued  Napoleon,  '  had  a  very  indifferent  opinion  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  She  told  me  that  a  person  well  known  .  .  . 
but  discovered  a  pair  of  breeches/  .  .  .  which  were  im- 
mediately recognized.'  " — Page  110. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '  Because  he  is  a  man  without  character. 
'  He  is  the  most  honest  of  the  .  .  . 
2  Unworthy  Repetition. 

"  '  Fouche,'  added  he,  'never  was  my  confidant.  Never 
did  he  approach  me  without  bending  to  the  ground.  For 
him  I  never  had  esteem.  .  ,  ,  He  never  was  in  a  situation 
to  demand  my  confidence,  or  even  to  speak  to  me  without 
being  questioned,  nor  had  he  the  talents  requisite  for  it.' 
Not  so  Talleyrand.  V— Page  111. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  The  ablest  Minister  of  Police  that  ever  lived. 

"  The  princes  and  chief  mandarins  performed  the  ko-tou. 
The  English  and  Russian  ambassadors  ought  to  have  done 
the  same.  The  Emperor  of  China  had  a  right  to  require  it. 
If  a  Chinese  ambassador  were  received  in  London,  he  would 
have  no  right  to  perform  the  Jco-tou.  He  ought  to  follow 
the  same  etiquette  as  that  observed  by  the  princes,  .  .  . 
which  would  be  the  English  ko4ou.^  The  simple  principle 
that  in  negotiations  as  well  as  in  etiquette  the  ambassador 
does  not  represent  the  sovereign,  and  has  only  a  right  to  ex- 
perience the  same  treatment  as  the  higliest  grandee  of  the 
place,  clears  up  the  whole  of  the  question,  and  removes  every 
difliculty."  '—Page  113. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Damn  such  frippery. 
'  Certainly. 

had  fled  from  Fontai-nebleau  with  fifty  mounted  Chasseurs  of  his  guard. 
Macdonald  in  his  "  Memoirs"  alludes  to  this  report.  He  says  that  he  does 
not  know  how  it  originated  ;  that  he  was  never  "  able  to  get  to  the  bottom 
of  the  story."  I  have  little  doubt  that  it  had  its  origin  in  the  reconnois- 
sance  of  which  P.  S.  Ney  speaks. 


240  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 

"  '  The  time  for  libels  against  me  is  past.  A  moderate 
criticism  upon  mj  actions  .  .  .  than  all  the  furious  dia- 
tribes in  the  Quarterly  Review  style. 

"  '  Fouche,  if  even  so  inclined,  never  would  have  dared  to 
do  it.  He  knew  me  too  well.'  The  fact  is,  that  Wright 
killed  himself.  That  Fouche  may  have  threatened  him," 
with  a  view  of  extracting  discoveries,  is  possible.'" — Page 
116. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '  Midshipman  Mansel,  wlio  was  captured  mth  Copt. 
Wright  and  imprisoned  in  tlie  next  room  to  him,  stated  on  his  return  to  Eng- 
land that  he  often  heard  Captain  W.  's  groans  as  if  iri  agony  and  .  .  .  to 
rack.  That  one  night  Capt.  W.  after  giving  some  directions  touching  his 
family  affairs,  etc.,  said  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  cruel  Emmies, 
and  would  never  moire  see  England  as  he  had  hut  a  shoi-t  time  to  live.  Such 
was  the  Report  circulated  by  Mansel.  The  French  Government  .  .  .  com- 
mitted suicide. 

^  And  also  tortured  him  ! 

*'  '  Sidney  Smith  knew,  from  having  been  so  long  in  the 
Temple,'  that  it  was  impossible  to  have  assassinated  a  pris- 
oner '  [Wright],     I  give  this  report  as  an  07i  diV  " — Page  117. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Whence  he  escaped  and  crossed  the  British  Channel 
in  a  small  boat. 
2  As  reported. 

(Note  at  bottom.)  "...  And  only  surpassed  by  the  mani- 
festation of  generosity  which  he  [Wellington]  displayed  in 
the  fate  of  his  old  antagonist  Ney."  ' — Page  118. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Viz.,  Wellington  had  military  occupation  of  Paris 
when  Ney  was  tried.  The  Bourbons  refused  in  evidence  the  12  Article  of  the 
Capitulation  of  Paris  stipulating  a  general  amnesty  signed  by  Blucher,  Wel- 
lington and  the  Bonapartists.  Ney  called  upon  Wellington  to  cau^e  the  13 
article  to  be  complied  with  on  his  trial.  Wellington  replied  that  he  had  no  au- 
thority to  interfere  with  tlie  acts  of  the  Bourbons!  !  !  Though  by  virtue  of 
that  very  Capitulation  which  lie  had  signed  tliey  could  ,  ,  .  Ney  was  sacri- 
ficed by  .  .  . 

"  I  observed  that  1  had  been  told  by  some  English  officers, 
who  had  been  present  at  the  battle  of  Albuera,  that  if  Mar- 
shal Soult  had  advanced  after  the  attack  made  by  the  lancers, 


TOwearnei.arresi<^.ana  wie  execution  me  mai,  was  an  oairage  upon  nunianiiy. 
On  the  trial  no  witnesses  were  produced,  nor  did  any  investigation  take  place, 
saving  by  the  interrogation  of  the  prisoner.  Whatever  points  of  accusation, 
therefore,  are  not  established  by  tlie  admission  of  the  duke  himself,  must  be 
considered  as  totally  unproved.  Yet  this  unconscientious  tribunal  not  only 
found  their  prisoner  guihy  of  having  borne  arms  against  tJie  Repubhc,  which 
he  readily  admitted,  but  of  having  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
French  emigrafits  in  the  pay  of  England,  and  carried  on  machinations  for  sur- 
prising the  city  of  Strasburg ;  charges  which  he  liimself  positively  denied,  and 
which  were  supported  by  no  proof  whatsoever. 

Buonaparte,  well  aware  of  the  total  irregularity  of  the  proceedings  in  this 
extraordinary  ease,  seems,  on  some  occasions,  to  have  wisely  renoimced  any 
attempt  to  defend  what  he  must  have  been  convinced  was  indefensible,  and  has 
vindicated  his  conduct  upon  general  grounds,  ol"  a  nature  well  worthy  of  notice. 
It  seems  that,  when  be-spoke  of  the  death  of  the  Duke  d'Engliien  among  his 
attendants,  he  alwayschose  to  represent  it  as  a  case  fulling  under  the  ordinary 
[brms  of  law,  in  which  all  regularity  was  observed,  and  where,  though  he  might 
be  accused  of  severity,  he  could  not  be  charged  with  violation  of  justice.  Tliis 
was  safe  language  to  liearers  trom  whom  he  was  sure  to  receive  neither  objec- 
tion nor  contradiction,  and  is  just  an  instance  of  an  attempt,  on  the  part  of  a 
onsciously  guilty  party,  to  establish,  by  repeated  asseverations,  an  innocence 
Iwhich  was  inconsistent  with  fact.  Bat  with  strangers,  from  whom  replies  and 
argument  might  be  expected,  Napoleon  took  broader  grounds.  He  alleged 
the  death  of  the  Duke  d'Enghien  to  be  an  act  of  self-defence,  a  measure  of 
state  polity,  arising  out  of  the  natural  rights  of  humanity,  by  wliich  a  man,  to 
save  his  own  life,  is  entitled  to  take  away  that  of  another.  "■  I  was  assailed," 
he  said,  "  on  all  hands  by  the  enemies  whom  the  Bourbons  raised  up  against 
me;  threatened  with  air-guns,  infernal  machines,  and  deadly  stratagems  of 
every  kind.  I  had  no  tribunal  on  earth  to  which  I  could  appeal  for  protection, 
therefore  I  had  a  right  to  protect  myself;  and  by  putting  to  death  one  of  those 
whose  followers  threatened  my  life,  I  was  entitled  to  strike  a  salutary  terror 
into  the  others,"    '  .  '  . 

We  have  no  doubt  that,  in  tliis  argument,  which  is  in  the  original  much  ox- 
tended,  Buonaparte  explained  his  real  motives ;  at  least  we  can  only  add  to  them 
the  stimulus  of  obstinate  resentment,  and  implacable  revenge.  But  the  wholes 
x-esolves  itself  into  an  allegation  of  U^&i  state  necessity,  which  has  been  ju>:tly 


1^      vj 


V,  \>'V^.»^ 


"V —     V,\>'s 


Cv\:i,- 


Facsimile  of  P.  S.  Nkv"s  Xote?  in  Scott's  "  Life  op  Kapoi.eon,"  page  48. 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  241 

lie  would  have  cut  the  English  Army  to  pieces, '  Napoleon 
acquiesced  in  this,  and  said  that  he  had  censured  Soult  for 
having  neglected  to  do  so.  .  .  .  Graham,  he  observed,  was  a 
daring  old  man,  and  asked  if  he  were  not  the  same  who  had 
commanded  in  the  affair  near  Cadiz.' '  ^ — Page  124. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '  The  Polish  Lancers  charged  through  the  British 
lines  and  threio  tliem  into  great  disorder  ;  then  took  a  position  in  their  rear. 
A  thick  shower  of  rain  concealed  tJie  effects  of  this  movement  from  Soult,  and 
when  it  cleared  up,  it  was  too  late  to  take  advantage  of  it.  The  lancers,  not 
being  supported,  had  to  sustain  a  furious  assault  from  the  Reserve  and  left 
wing ,  and  were  dreadfully  cut  up  .  .  .    Retreated  with  the*  .  .  , 

■  Yes,  beat  Victor. 

"  I  mentioned  Toussaint  L'Ouverture,  and  observed  that 
some  of  his  enemies  had  asserted  that  he  had  caused  him  to 
be  put  to  death  privately  in  prison.  '  It  does  not  deserve  an 
answer,'  replied  Napoleon.  'Had  he  died  in  St.  Domingo, 
then,  indeed,  something  might  have  been  suspected  ;  but 
after  he  had  safely  arrived  in  France,  what  object  could  have 
been  in  view  ? '  "  ' — Page  127. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  None.     But  Jiis  imprisonment  was  a  great  crime. 

"  '  Indeed  the  nation  had  la  rage  to  regain  St.  Domingo, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  comply  with  it  ;  but  had  I,  previous  to 
the  peace,  acknowledged  the  blacks,  I  could  under  that  plea 
have  refused  to  make  any  attempts  to  retake  it  ;  in  doing 
which  I  acted  contrary  to  my  own  judgment.'  "  * — Page 
128. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.—'  Why  ? 

' '  '  Nothing  ever  done  by  your  ministers  enraged  the  French 
and  other  nations  against  them  so  much  as  their  system  of 
pontons.'"  '—Page  129. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  lie  cannot  forget  the  pontons,  neither  will  the  Ameri- 
cans forget  the  British  .  .  . 

*  Massena  and  Ney  had  their  well-known  quarrel  a  short  time  before 
the  battle  of  Albuera  was  fought.  Massena  deprived  Ney  of  his  com- 
mand, and  sent  him  into  the  interior  of  Spaia  to  await  the  Emperor's 
orders.  Ney  doubtless  went  to  Soult's  headquarters,  and  was  there  when 
the  battle  took  place. 


242  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 

"  He  then  made  some  remarks  upon  the  Manuscrit  venu 
de  Ste.  HSlene.  '  The  Edinburgh  Review^ '  said  he,  '  will  find 
out  directly  that  I  am  not  the  author  of  it.'  "  ^ — Page  131. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Oreat  compliment  to  the  Edinburgh  Reviewers. 

*'  'It  is,  however,  composed  with  good  intentions  toward 
me.  If  I  had  written  a  work  of  the  kind,  it  would  indeed 
be  different.  Every  hne  of  it  would  be  a  subject  of  discussion 
for  nations.'  "  ' — Page  132. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Aye,  aye. 

"  Count  Montholon  called  Captain  Blakeney  and  myself 
this  day  to  look  at  the  state  of  his  apartments.  The  walls 
were  damp  and  cold  to  the  touch.  I  never  saw  a  human 
habitation  in  a  more  mouldy  or  humid  state.  * 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — ^  0  fye. 

"  Napoleon  said  that  a  man's  conscience  was  not  to  be 
amenable  to  any  tribunal  ;  that  no  person  ought  to  be  account- 
able to  any  earthly  power  for  his  religious  opinions."  * — 
Page  135. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — ^  This  sentiment  forms  the  very  Essence  of  toleration, 

"  '  Sir  Hudson  said  I  might  have  books  in  my  rooms,  to 
be  shown  to  the  French,  of  a  very  improper  tendency,  which 
they  might  read  in  my  absence.'  "  * — Page  137. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  This  is  like  the  pope's  pi'ohibiting  the  Laity  from 
Reading  the  holy  Scriptures. 

"  Napoleon  then  rallied  me  upon  my  supposed  attention  to 
Miss ."'—Page  140. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  E.  Balcome. 

"  '  That  circumstance  of  the  dejeune  de  trois  amis'  I  never 
told  to  any  person.'  " — Page  144. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  3  young  friends. 


AS  TO  NUT'S  IDENTITY.  243 

"  '  After  the  abdication  at  Fontainebleau,  upward  of  forty 
millions  of  francs,  my  private  property,  was  seized.  Of  this 
money,  about  five-and-twenty  millions  were  divided'  among 
T ,  M ,  H ,  and  0 .'  "—Page  146. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Talleyrand,  MetternicJi,  Eardenburg  and  Castle- 
reagh. 

"  '  Judging  from  "Wellington's  actions,  from  his  dispatches, 
and,  above  all,  from  his  conduct  toward  Ney,  I  should  pro- 
nounce him  to  be  un  homme  de  peu  d* esprit  sans  generosite'-^ 
et  sans  grandeur  d'ame.^  " — Page  147. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  A  man  of  little  wit,  devoid  of  generosity,  and  with- 
out greatness  of  soul. 

"  '  You  ought  not  to  suffer  the  Americans  to  send  a  ship 
there  ;*  you  give  up  Batavia  to  the  Dutch.  .  .  .  After  my  fail 
you  might  have  had  anything  you  liked'  to  ask  for.'  " — Page 
150. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes, — '  They  would  find  it  difficult  to  prevent  that. 
•  Not  from  the  Americans. 

"  '  I  disagreed  with  him  [the  admiral],  and  thought  him  un 
homiris  dur,^  still  I  felt  confidence  in  his  character  and  in- 
tegrity. 

"  '  Had  I  any  intention  of  committing  suicide,  a  pistol 
would  be  my  resource.  Je  n'aime  pas  la  longue  guerre. '  "  ' 
— Page  154. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  A  rude  man. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note.—'  1  am  not  a  friend  of  long  wars. 

"  '  The  French  admiral  was  an  imbecile,  but  yours  was  just 
as  bad.'  I  assure  you  that  if  Cochrane  had  been  supported, 
he  would  have  taken  every  one  of  the  ships.'  " — Page  186. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Admiral  Oambier. 
"  '  The  Pope  proposed  to  me  to  canonize  Bounaventura 


244  DOGUMENTABT  EVIDENCE 

Bonaparte.     ^^  Saint  Pere,'''' s.'sadi  I,  '^  pour  V amour  de  Diev, 
epargnez  7noi  le  7'idicule  de  cela.^^ '  "  ' — Page  189. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  0  Holy  Father,  for  the  love  of  God,  sjyare  tne  the 
ridicule  of  that. 

"  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Hudson  Lowe,  K.C.B.,'  etc.,  was 
duped."— Page  191. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — *  Knight  Commander  of  the  Bath. 

"  1  asked  hiin  if  he  believed  that '  was  privy  to  the 

death  of ."  '—Page  215. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Alexr. 
'  his  father. 

"  But  in  truth  there  was  nothing  to  be  feared  from  France 
under  any  sovereign.  Until  she  has  an  army  of  five  hundred 
thousand  men  France  is  not  to  be  dreaded."  ' — Page  216. 

P.  S.  Net'  Note. — '  She  brought  kingdoms  to  her  feet  with  half  of  that 
number. 

"  '  There  was  nothing  to  be  feared  from  me,  for  if  I  had 
attempted  new  conquests,  the  opinion  which  brought  me  back 
from  Elba  would  have  thrown  me  to  the  ground  again. ' 

"  '  Massena  lost  himself  in  the  campaign  of  Portugal.  If 
he  had  been  what  he  formerly  was  he  would  have  followed 
Wellington  so  closely  as  to  be  able  to  attack  him  while  enter- 
ing the  lines  before  Lisbon,  before  he  could  have  taken  up 
his  position  properly.'  "  ' — Page  217. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Certainly. 

^  The  heights  of  Busaco  and  Torres  Vederas  were  previously  fortified  by  the 
British  and  Portuguese,  by  a  succession  of  circumvallations  .  .  .  the  Enemy 
.  .  .  Ney,  D'Erlon  and  many  others  were  present  whose  conduct  and  courage 
have  never  been  questioned.  If  Bonaparte  himself  had  been  there  he  would 
have  been  .  .  ,  months  before  the  place  and  his  convoys  and  communications 
cut  off. 

*'  '  Twenty-one  guns  were  to  have  been  fired  for  the  birth 
of  a  princess,  and  one  hundred  and  one  for  a  prince.  At  the 
discharge  of  the  twenty-second  gun  the  Parisians  rent  the 


AS  TO  KEY'S  IDENTITY.  245 

skies  with  acclamations  and  expressions  of  universal  delight.* 
Almost  all  the  powers  of  Europe  sent  ambassadors  extraor- 
dinary.' "—Page  233. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  The  same  parisians  rent  tTie  air  with  vive  la  Re- 
publique  f   Vive  le  premier  consul !  .  .  . 

"  '  It  has  been  said,'  added  Napoleon,  '  that  the  marriage 
of  Marie  Louise  was  one  of  the  secret  articles  of  the  Treaty 
of  Vienna,  which  had  taken  place  some  months  before.  This 
is  entirely  false.  In  fact,  the  marriage  with  the  Empress 
Marie  Louise  was  proposed  in  council,  discussed,  decided, 
and  signed  within  twenty-four  hours,  which  can  be  proved  by 
many  members  of  the  council'  who  are  now  in  existence.'  " 
—Page  235. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  They  did  so  decide  on  the  proposition  made  by  Napo- 
leon himself.     But  no  report  ever  gained  more  credit  in  .  .  . 

"  '  Those  English,'  added  he,  'who  are  lovers  of  liberty, 

will  one  day  lament  with  tears  having  gained  the  battle  of 

Waterloo.  *     It  was  as  fatal  to  the  liberties  of  Europe  in  its 

effects  as  that  of  Philippi  was  to  those  of  Rome.'" — Page 

243. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Oui  en  verity,  vous  et  m/)i  nous  sommes  d'accord — 
malgre  tout  le  monde. 

"'It  [the  victory  at  Waterloo]  has  precipitated  Europe 
into  the  hands  of  triumvirs,  associated  together  for  the  op- 
pression of  mankind,  the  suppression  of  knowledge,  and  the 
restoration  of  superstition.'  "  * — Page  244. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  HolylAlliance. 

' '  The  Emperor  then  shook  me  by  the  hand  and  embraced 

me,  saying,  '  Adieu,^  0''2feara^  nous  ne  nous  reverrons 
jamais  encore.     Soyez  heureux.''  "  * — Page  264. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Adieu.  L'  honneur  au  revoir  O'Mea/ra  unehomme 
a  recompervzer.  G'est  une  affaire  a  la  perdre  avec  le  Roi  sotte  d' Angleterre. 
H.  Lowe  c'est  le  plus  mechant ;  il  seriot  retraruJie  dela  .  .  .  malheureux.  .  .  . 

"  Ood  be  with  you,  O'Meara.  We  shall  never  m^et  again.  May  you  be 
happy. 


246  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 


li  i 


The  instructions  which  I  [Lowe]  have  received  from 
the  British  Government  direct  me  to  limit  the  expenditure  of 
General  Bonaparte's  establishment  to  £8000  per  annum  ;  they 
give  me  liberty  at  the  same  time  to  admit  of  any  further  ex- 
pense being  incurred,  provided  he  furnishes  the  funds  whereby 
the  surplus  charges  may  be  defrayed.'  "  ' — Page  284. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  The  object  was  evidently  to  discover  what  funds 
Bonaparte  had  at  his  command  in  Europe. 

*'  Supplies  for  General  Bonaparte  daily  : 

Meat,  beef  and  mutton  included  (lbs.) 82 

Fowls  (no.) 6 

Bread  (lbs.) 66 

Butter  (lbs.) 5 

Lard  (lbs.) 5 

Salad  oils  (pints) 3^ 

Sugar  candy  (lbs.) 4 

Coffee  (lbs.) 2 

Tea,  green  (lbs.) i 

Tea,  black  (lbs.) k 

Candles,  wax  (lbs.) 8 

Eggs  (no.) 30 

Common  sugar  (lbs.) 5 

Cheese  (lbs.) 1 

Vinegar  (qts.) 1 

Flour  (lbs.) 5 

Salt  meat  (lbs.) 6 

Fire  wood  (cwt.) 3 

Porter  or  ale  (bottles). 3 

Vegetables  (in  value) 1^. 

Fruit  (in  value) 105. 

Confectionery  (in  value) 8s. 

Champagne  or  Vin  de  grave  (bottles) 1 

Madeira  (bottles) 1 

Constantia  (bottles) 1 

Claret  (bottles) 6"^ 

—Page  287. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  Ecce!  Sir  Hudson  is  Deputy  Butler  to  the  Prince 
Hegeiit,  who  acts  as  chief  .  .  . 


^.      KiKen  a  posmon  in  me  rear  ol  ajJiece  ol  woods  which  se- 
lf^    cured  iheir  flanks,  the),  maintained  it  until   nit^ht.     JNej 
'-*  ,     fixed  his  head  quarters  at  Quatre  Bras,  his  liiie  being  two 
cajmon  sliot  distant  from  the  enemy.     He  was  joined   by 
;>c  count  Erion  with  the  corps  of  reserve.     The  loss  of  the 
Enghsh  troops  was  estunated  at  9000 :  that  of  the  French 
'    at  3400.    -.^      \    t;     ,/-      ■■  ^'::      ,      .-<?.• 

The  night  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth,  the  third      ^^ 
corps  of  the  French  army  rested  on  its  arms  on  the  iiehl  of      ^ 
battle  in  advance  of  St.  Aniand  j  the  fourth  corps  in  ad-      ^ 
■Vance  of  Ligny  ;  marshal  Grouchy  at  Sombref,  and  the        ' 
sixth  corps  in  reserve  behind  Liu,ny.     The  Pru'^sians  re- 
treated in  two  coiunnis  towards  VVavres,  where  theiburth      '"' 
corps  under  general   Bulow  arrived  from  Lie^e  about  1 1       ^ 
p'ciock  at  night.     The  dispersed  Prus&ians  covered  the 
cbuiitry  like  a  swarm  of  locusts,  and  committed  dreadful 
ravages.     The  defeat  of  the   Prussians  occasioned  great     '*^^ 
joy  to  the  inhabitants  on  the  left  barik  of  the  Rhine.  "• 

The  duke  of  Wellington  had  readied  and  passed  the 
night  /it  Quatre  Bras  ;  where  his   troops,  exhausted  and       ^ 
fatigued,  continued  to  arrive.     They  had  been  on  their       ^ 
march  since  the  night  of  the  fifteenth. 

At  break  of  day  on  the  seventeenth,  general  Pajol,  with 
the  6th  corps,  and  a  division  of  light  cavalry  was  ordered 
to  pursue  the  Prussians  in  the  direction  of  Wavres  ;  and 
marshal  Ney  received  orders  to  march  at  day  break  on 
Quatre  Bras,  and  attack  the  rear-guard  of  the  English. 
Count  Lobau  was  directed  to  march  by  the  road  of  Na- 
mur,  towards  the  same  place,  to  aid  the  attack  of  marshal 
Ney.     Marshal  Grouchy  with  the  third  and  fourth  corps 


Facsimile  op  P.  S.  Ney's  Notk  in  "Memoirs  of  Napoleon,"  page  316.    Translation 

OP    THE  SHORTHAND  Is:     '' CoUNT   D'ERLON   WAS  CALLED  AWAY  (OR   OEF)   BY 

Napoleon,  wuo  crippled  my  movement." 


AS  TO  NUT'S  IDENTITY.  247 

"  '  You  ask  me,  sir,  est  ce  d  ce  que  ces  objets  ne  sont  pas  ar- 
rive% parte  canal  du  ministre?  '  "  etc' — Page  296. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  Is  it  on  account  that  tJiese  things  have  not  arrived 
through  the  medium  of  the  Minister  ? 

"  '  You  observe,  sir,'  Servit  ceparceque  sur  les  jettons  il  y 
a  une  couronne,  etc. 

"  *  Yous  n'avez  pas  le  droit  d'enfaire.^ 

"  '  Z^Mnpereur  ne  veut  de  grace,''  "  '  etc. — Page  298. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '-  Can  it  be  because  a  crown  surmounts  tJie  counters? 
'  Tou  have  not  the  right  to  make  .  .  . 
^  TJw  Emperor  begs  no  favor, 

"  ' .     .     .     not  execute  mj  duty  as  a  consigne.^ 

"  '  Aucune  inspection  directe  ou  puhliq^ie.'' 

*'  '  JO ETYipereur  me  charge  de  protester  contre  V  existence  de 
toute  restriction.  ^ 

"  '  Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

"  '  H.  Lowe,  lieutenant- General.'  "  * 
—Page  299. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — >  An  agent. 

'  No  personal  inspection,  immediate  or  public. 

^  TJie  Emperor  directs  me  to  denounce  the  existence  of  all  restriction. 

*  Ou  il  est  mechant,  ou  il  est  foil, 

"'Do   your  duty,   come  what  may   [Bertrand].'    Fais  ce 
que  tu  dois  /  "  admenne  q%ie  pourra. ' ' ' — Page  304, 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  Bravo  ! 

'  je  ne  la  croyois  pas  si  brave  or  aussi  brave  qu'il  est — beaucoup  plus  grand 
Bertrand. 


"  The  powers  declare  that  Napoleon  Bonaparte  is  placed 
out  of  the  pale  of  civil  and  social  relations  ;  and  that  as  an 
enemy  and  disturber  of  the  world  he  is  delivered  up  to  pub- 
lic vengeance  !" 


248  DOCUMENTARY  EVIDENCE 

Then  follow  the  signatures  : 

.        .     j  Le  Prince  de  Metternich.  * 
(  Le  Baron  de  "Wessemberg. 

Spain — P.  Gomez  Labrador. 

r  Le  Prince  de  Talleyrand.' 

r,  Le  Due  d'Albero;. 

France  s  -r   ,        -rx     • 
Latour  Dupm. 

[  Le  Comte  Alexis  de  Noailles. 

Wellington.* 
Great  Britain  -|  Clancartj. 
Stewart. 
Sweden — Lo  wenheim.  * 
—Page  306. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — 

f  Beelzebub. 
'  Pandemonium       Moloch. 

au 

Diable 

Boi 

inferne. 
^  Baal. 

'  {Talleyrand's  portrait  is  here  drawn — a  caricature,  yet  a  striking  like- 
ness.) 

^  {A  fair  portrait  of  Wellington  is  here  draton — it  is  slightly  caricatured. 
At  Wellington's  mouth  is  the  word  oui.) 

*  .  .  .  toute  merite  au  .  .  .  au  pendere. 

"  '  I  came  voluntarily  on  board  of  the  Bellerophon.  I  am 
not  the  prisoner,  but  the  guest  of  England.  I  appeal  to  his- 
tory.' "  '—Page  307. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  You  have  no  reason.  History  speaks  regardless  of 
Appeals. 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  249 


NOTES  IN  SCOTT'S  ''LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON." 

Mr.  S.  A.  KeUey,  Charlotte,  N.  C,  owns  a  copy  of  Scott's 
*'  Life  of  Napoleon"  (published  in  three  volumes  by  J.  P. 
Ayres,  Philadelphia,  1827),  which  contains  some  notes  of 
great  value  written  by  Peter  S.  Ney.  Of  this  book  Mr. 
Kelley  says  :  "It  originally  belonged  to  my  father,  who 
lived  in  Mocksville,  N.  C.  When  Peter  S.  Ney  taught 
school  near  Mocksville  he  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  my  father's 
house.  He  borrowed  Scott's  "  Life  of  Napoleon,"  and 
while  it  was  in  his  possession  wrote  the  notes  which  the  book 
contains.  The  first  volume  contained  a  steel  engraving  of 
Napoleon.  P.  S.  Ney  wrote  underneath  the  portrait  :  '  This 
is  not  a  correct  likeness  of  Napoleon.'  " 

On  a  fly-leaf  of  the  first  volume  P.  S.  Ney  wrote  :  "  This 
book  should  be  thrown  in  the  fire.  P.  S.  Ney."  (P.  8. 
Ney  in  shorthand.)  On  a  fly-leaf  of  the  second  volume 
P.  S.  Ney  wrote  :  "  This  book  should  be  read  with  great 
caution,  for  it  contains  more  falsehoods  than  facts.  P.  S. 
Ney."     {P.  S.  Ney  in  shorthand.) 

"  It  is  little  more  than  a  historical  romance.  P.  S.  N." 
(P.  S.  N.  in  shorthand.) 

Notes  in  Volume  II. 

*'  On  the  trial  [of  the  Duke  D'Enghien]  no  witnesses 
were  produced,  nor  did  any  investigation  take  place,  saving 
by  the  interrogation  of  the  prisoner.  "Whatever  points  of 
accusation,  therefore,  are  not  established  by  the  admission  of 
the  duke  himself  must  be  considered  as  totally  unproved.' 

"  Yet  this  unconscientious  tribunal  not  only  found  their 
prisoner  guilty  of  having  borne  arms  against  the  republic, 
which  he  readily  admitted,  but  of  having  placed  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  party  of  French  emigrants  in  the  pay  of  Eng- 
land, and  carried  on  machinations  for  surprising  the  city  of 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.—'  Bah! 


250  DOCUMENTART  EVIDENCE 

Strassburg — charges  which  he  himself  positively  denied,  and 
which  were  supported  by  no  proof  whatsoever."'' — Page 
48. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — 1»  A  large  bundle  of  Proclamations,  calling  on  the 
French  to  rise  in  arms  against  Napoleon,  were  found  in  tJie  Duke's  bureau 
wTien  arrested  !* 

*'  The  prince  may  be  lamented  who  is  exposed,  from  civil 
disaffection,  to  the  dagger  of  the  assassin,  but  his  danger  gives 
him  no  right  to  turn  such  a  weapon  even  against  the  indi- 
vidual person  by  whom  it  is  pointed  at  him.' 

"  In  every  point  of  view  the  act  was  a  murder  f  and  the 
stain  of  the  Duke  D'Enghien's  blood  must  remain  indelibly 
upon  Napoleon  Bonaparte. "  ' — Page  49. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes.—*  Why? 

2  No. 

2  So  say  you. 

*'  General  indignation  of  Europe,  in  consequence  of  the 
murder'  of  the  Duke  D'Enghien."— Page  52. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — *  Execution. 

"  A  single  Russian  officer  appeared,  and  invited  Ney  to 
capitulate.  '  A  marshal  of  France  never  surrenders,'  an- 
swered that  intrepid  general.  The  officer  retired.*  .  .  . 
Miloradovitch  lay  here  at  the  head  of  a  great  force. " — Page 

378. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — *  The  officer  was  not  suffered  to  retire,  foi'  during  the 
parley  a  volley  of  grape  was  fired  from  Russian  cannon,  and  he  was  dis- 
armed and  detained  for  this  violation  of  the  flag  of  truce.  Miloradovitch 
wisTied  to  prevent  any  terms  offered  by  Koutousoff  tJien  present.  (Shorthand,  f) 

"  The  hills  were  black  with  the  Russian  troops.  .  .  . 
Ear  from  losing  heart  in  so  perilous  a  situation,  the  French 
Guards,  with  rare  intrepidity,  forced  their  way  through  the 
ravine  of  the  Losmina,  and  rushed  with  the  utmost  fury  on 

*  Colonel  Ordener,  who  arrested  the  Duke  D'Enghien,  said  :  "  I  found 
in  his  house  sacks  of  papers  sufficient  to  compromise  the  half  of  France." 

■f-  "  The  world  he  for  this  reason  caused  by  fealty  to  be  veered." — De- 
ciphered by  one  of  P.  S.  Ney's  pupils. 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  351 

the  Russian  batteries.  .  .  .  ISTey  persevered  in  the  attempt 
to  cut  his  passage  by  main  force  through  this  superior  body 
of  Russians,  who  lay  opposed  to  him  in  front.  Again  the 
French  advanced  upon  the  cannon,  losing  whole  ranks,  which 
were  supplied  by  their  comrades  as  fast  as  they  fell.  The 
assault  was  once  more  unsuccessful,  and  Ney,  seeing  that  the 
general  fate  of  his  column  was  no  longer  doubtful,  endeav- 
ored at  least  to  save  a  part  from  the  wreck.  Having  selected 
about  four  thousand  of  the  best  men  he  separated  himself* 
from  the  rest.  .  .  .  Here  he  found  a  single  place  in  the 
river  frozen  over,  though  the  ice  was  so  thin  that  it  bent  be- 
neath the  steps  of  the  soldiers."  .  .  .  The  wagons,  some 
loaded  with  sick  and  wounded,  last  attempted  to  pass,*  but 
the  ice  broke  with  them,  and  the  heavy  plunge  and  stifled 
moaning  apprised  their  companions  of  their  fate. "  — Page  379. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  No.     Not  before  dark,  and  ordered  all  to  follow. 
P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — »  Blockhead  be  I  see,  or  say. 

"  We  return  to  the  Grand  Army,  or  rather  to  the  assem- 
blage of  those  who  had  once  belonged  to  it,  for  of  an  army  it 
had  scarce  the  semblance  left.  .  .  .  If  Ney  and  some  of 
the  marshals  still  retained  authority,  they  were  only  attended 
to  from  habit,  or  because  the  instinct  of  discipline  revived 
when  the  actual  battle  drew  near.  .  .  .  The  stragglers, 
which  now  comprehended  almost  the  whole  army,  divided 
into  little  bands.  .  .  .  Those  associated  into  such  a 
fraternity  would  communicate  to  none  save  those  of  their 
own  party  a  mouthful  of  rye  dough,  and  a  handful  of  meal 
was  a  sufficient  temptation  for  putting  to  death  the  wretch 
who  could  not  defend  his  booty. ' ' ' — Page  390. 

P.  S,  Net's  Note.—'  Base  traducer. 

"  He  [Napoleon]  had  no  expectation  that  the  mild  climate 
of  Fontainebleau  would  continue  to  gild  the  ruins  of  Moscow 

,  *  See  Testimony  of  Burgess  Gaither.  See  also  Segur  and  Home.  The 
drowning  of  the  sick  and  wounded  made  a  lasting  impression  upon  Ney 
and  his  entire  army. 


252  BOCUMENTART  EVIDENCE 

till  the  arrival  of  December  ;  but  lie  could  not  forego  the 
flattering  belief  that  a  letter  and  proposal  of  pacification  must 
at  last  fulfil  the  anticipations  which  he  so  ardently  entertained. 
It  was  only  the  attack  upon  Murat  that  finally  dispelled  this 
hope." '—Page  399. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note. — '  The  letter  was  not  forvaarded  by  Koutousoff. 


NOTES  IN  "  MEMOIRS  OF  NAPOLEON  BONA- 
PARTE." 

I  have  still  another  book — "  Memoirs  of  Napoleon" — 
which  contaius  a  few  notes  of  priceless  value  written  by  Peter 
S.  Ney.  The  book  belongs  to  Mr.  A.  B.  Andrews,  Jr., 
Attorney  at  Law,  Raleigh,  N.  C,  who  obtained  it  from  his 
grandfather,  Colonel  William  Johnston,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 
Colonel  Johnston  writes  :  "  The  '  Memoirs  of  Napoleon,' 
containing  marginal  notes  by  Peter  S.  Ney,  was  in  my 
father's  library*  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  was  read  with  much 
interest  by  me.  Peter  S.  Ney  taught  school  in  our  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  my  youngest  brother,  Rufus  M.  Johnston, 
was  one  of  his  pupils.  P.  S.  Ney  sometimes  went  home 
with  him.  He  had  full  access  to  my  father's  library,  and 
read  with  avidity  everything  which  in  any  way  related  to  the 
life  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  His  conversation  was  intel- 
lectual, his  manner  dignified  and  impressive,  and  he  would 
have  attracted  attention  in  any  society." 

The  title-page  of  the  book  is  as  follows  :  "  Memoirs  of  the 
Military  and  Political  Life  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  .  .  . 
Embracing  also  an  Authentic  Narrative  of  the  Conduct  of 
Napoleon  during  his  "Voyage  to  St.  Helena,  and  while  in 
Exile,  and  of  Events  attending  his  Confinement,  .  .  .  with 
Numerous  Private  Documents,  Collected  chiefly  from  the 
Writings  of  Dr.  B.  E.  O'Meara,  Surgeon  to  Napoleon  at  St. 
Helena.  Hartford  :  Published  for  Chauncey  Goodrich, 
1822." 

*  On  a  fly-leaf  of  the  book  is  the  signature  of  Robert  Johnston,  father 
of  Colonel  Johnston. 


security,  or  destroyed;  as  they  compromised  the  lives" 
of  so  many  persons.  But  M.  Blacas  was  .only  intent 
upon  saving  his  qiiattr'mi;*  and  gave  himself  but  little 
concern  about  the  lives  of  those  who  had  been  the 
means  of  bringing  himself  and  his  master  back.  He 
was  then  minister  of  the  king's  household.  Every- 
thing was  trusted  to  him  by  Louis,  who  is  incapable 
himself,  and  whose  chief  qualities  are  dissimulation 
and  hypocrisy.  His  legs  are  covered  with  ulcers,  which 
are  dressed  for  him  by  the  Duchess  of  Angouleme. 
He  gorges  to  that  degree  every  day,  that  they  are  oblig- 
ed to  give  him  God  knows  what  to  enable  him  to  dis- 
encumber himself  of  his  load.  Some  morning  he  will 
be  found  dead  in  his  bed.  He  has  some  ignorant  im- 
beci/es  of  physicians  about  him.  They  wanted  Cor- 
visart  to  attf  nd  him,  but  he  refusi'd,  saying,  that  if  any 
accident  happened,  he  might  be  accused  of  having 
contributed  to  his  end.  When  I  returned  to  the  Thuil- 
leries,  I  found  my  apartments  poisoned  with  the  smell 
of  his  legs,  and  of  divers  sulphureous  baths,  which  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  using."    r±b 


Facsimile  of  P.  S.  Xey's  Note  in  oMeara's  -'Nai-oi.eon  in  Exile."  Vol.  I.,  pa.je  314. 


army  was  expected  to  be  concentrated,  and  prince  Ber- 
nard of  .Saxe,  had  taken  a  position  between  that  place  and 
Genappe.  Tlie  position  of  the  prince  of  Orange  was  an 
important  one,  being  the  point  at  which  the  ditferent  di- 
yisions  of  Wellington's  army  were  concentrating.  Had  it 
not  been  for  the  delay  of  marshal  Ney,  he  might  have  se- 
cured this  position,  and  been  enabled  to  attack  separately 
tUfe^ivisions  of  the  English  army  on  their  march.  These 
JOTHmtages  were  lost.  Bat  the  fnar«hal  having  received 
Ibe  orders  of  Uie  emperor,  with  about  half  his  force  com- 


Fac!<i.mile   op   r.   S.   Xey's   Note   in    ".Memoirs  of   Napoleon."  PAciE  31.").     Translation  of  the 

SHORTHAND   IS:     "  DeLAT  !    SAY    THE   EmPEROR   TOOK    AWAY'    .MY    RESERVE."' 


AS  TO  NET'S  IDENTITY.  253 

"  The  general  sarcastically  replied,  '  C^etoit  une  vraie  cajpu- 
cinade  ' — '  it  was  a  true  farce-'  "  ' — Page  208. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — '  Volney  said  so. 

"  Marshal  Nej,  when  on  the  point  of  marching  to  take  the 
position  assigned  him,  halted  in  consequence  of  a  report  that 
the  English  and  Prussian  armies  had  effected  a  junction  in 
the  environs  of  Fleurus."  ' — Page  314. 
P.  S.  Net's  Note. — >  Not  so.*    Had  no  command. 

"  Had  it  not  been  for  the  delay  of  Marshal  Ney."  ' — Page 

315. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — '  Belay/  say  (or  as)  the  Emperor  took 
away  my  reserve. 

"  The  loss  of  the  French  [at  Ligny]  was  6950'  killea  and 
wounded." — Page  315. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.— i  16,950. 

'*  Ney  fixed  his  headquarters  at  Quatre  Bras,  his  line  being 
two  cannon-shot  distant  from  the  enemy.  He  was  joined  by 
Count  Erlon'  with  the  corps  of  reserve.  The  loss  of  the  Eng- 
lish troops  was  estimated  at  9000,  that  of  the  French  at 
3400."^— Page  31 6. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — '  Count  d'Erlon  was  called  off  {or  away) 
by  Napoleon,  who  cniypled  my  movement. 
2  5000. 

"  The  third  division  of  the  second  corps  having  suifered 
much  at ,  the  action  at  Ligny,  remained  to  watch  the  field  of 
battle  and  take  care  of  the  wounded."  ' — Page  317. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — '  This  was  the  fatal  error.^ 

*  Ney  had  just  joined  the  army.  His  troops  had  not  arrived.  Napoleon 
alone  was  responsible  for  the  delay. 

f  It  may  have  been.  A  f  ter  the  battle  of  Ligny  Girard's  division  numbered 
about  three  thousand  men.  If  at  Waterloo  Napoleon  could  have  sent  Ney 
a  reinforcement  of  three  thousand  men  when  the  marshal  captured  La 
Haye  Sainte,  or,  later,  when  he  penetrated  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Eng- 
lish position,  the  result  might  have  been  different.  Certainly  Napoleon 
would  not  have  suffered  so  serious  a  defeat. 


254  DOCTIMENTABT  EVIDENCE 

' '  About  an  hour  after  this  dispatch  the  Emperor  received 
a  report  from  Marshal  Grouchy,  by  which  it  was  with  sur- 
prise and  astonishment  he  learnt  that  instead  of  his  being  at 
Wavre,  in  close  pursuit  of  Bliicher,  he  was  at  Gembloux  at 
five  the  preceding  evening,  and  ignorant  of  the  course  Bliicher 
had  taken." '—Page  318. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.—'  Aye. 

"  Grouchy  concluded  he  should  be  able  to  be  before  Wavre 
in  season."  * — Page  318. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  (Shorthand.) 

"  A  primary  object  of  the  Emperor  at  the  commencement 
of  operations  was  to  attack  and  destroy  each  [army]  sepa- 
rately.' .  .  .  The  three  hours' delay  of  Grouchy  prevented 
the  Emperor  from  attacking  the  British  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  17th,  as  he  intended  to  have  done."  "—Page  319. 

P.  S.  Net's  Notes. — '  No,  no. 
^No. 

"  Six  thousand  men  had  recently  landed  at  Ostend  from 
America."  ' — Page  319. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.— '  Bah! 

"  Deeply  occupied  with  thoughts  which  his  situation  sug- 
gested, the  Emperor,  at  one  o'clock  at  night,  left  his  quarters 
on  foot,  accompanied  only  by  his  grand  marshal,  to  see  if  he 
could  discover  any  movements  of  the  enemy.  He  went  the 
round  of  the  Grand  Guard.  .  .  .  On  approaching  the 
woods  of  Chateau  Hougoumont,  he  heard  a  noise  as  of  a  col- 
umn in  march.  .  .  .  He  had  determined  if  the  English 
army  was  retreating  to  pursue  and  attack  it,  notwithstanding 
the  darkness  of  the  night.    .    .    ."  ' — Page  319. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — '  This  is  new  to  me. 
"  The  English  were  estimated  at  ninety  thousand  men  ; 


AS  TO  NEY'S  IDENTITY.  255 

they  had  lain  under  arms  during  the  night,   exposed  to  a 
severe  rain,  accompanied  with  thunder  and  lightning/    .     .     . 

P.  S.  Ney's  Note,—*  Good. 

"  The  Emperor  felt  confident  of  victory.  .  .  .  '  We 
have,'  said  he,  '  ninety  chances  in  our  favor,  and  not  ten 
against  us.'  .  .  .  '  "Without  doubt,'  said  Marshal  Ney, 
who  had  just  entered,  '  if  the  Duke  of  Wellington  were  sim- 
ple enough  to  wait  for  your  Majesty.'  '    .    .    . 

"  The  army  commenced  its  march  in  eleven  columns,  four 
of  wliich  were  destined  for  the  first  line,  four  for  the  second, 
and  three  for  the  third.  The  artillery  marched  on  the  flanks 
of  the  columns,  and  the  wagons  in  the  rear.  The  four  col- 
umns designed  for  the  first  line  arrived  on  the  spot  ^  .  .  . 
at  the  same  time  the  seven  other  columns  were  seen  defihng 
from  the  heights.  .     .     ."  '—Page  321. 

P.  S.  Ney's  Notes. — '  By  ...  . 
""  What  stuff! 

"  Soult  and  !N"ey  acted  as  lieutenant-generals,  and  the  Em- 
peror himself,  placed  in  a  central  and  commanding  position, 
directed  every  manoeuvre.  All  the  reserve  were  at  his  com- 
mand, which  could  be  ordered  wherever  the  urgency  of  cir- 
cumstances might  require  their  presence."  ' — Page  323. 

P,  S.  Net's  Note.—'  Bight. 

"  The  Emperor  ordered  Count  Lobau  with  two  divisions  of 
ten  thousand'  men  to  march  to  support  the  light  cavalry." — 
Page  325. 

P.  S,  Net's  Note.—'  5000, 

"  The  victory  will  be  more  decisive,  for  Billow's  corps  will 
be  entirely  cut  up. 

"  It  was  now  twelve  o'clock.'  .    .    . 

"  While  this  attack  was  going  on,  a  large  body  of  the  en- 
emy's cavalry,  on  his  left,  charged  and  repulsed  a  column  of 
infantry,  took  two  eagles  and  seven  pieces  of  cannon,  and 
advanced  on  to  the  plain. "  " — Page  326. 
P.  S.  Net's  Notes,—'  1  P.M.  "  Picton. 


256  DOCUMENTABT  EVIDENCE. 

"  The  balls  fell  on  the  road  before  and  in  rear  of  the  Belle 
Alliance,  where  the  Emperor  was  stationed  with  his  guards. 
The  Prussians  had  advanced  so  near  as  to  pour  their  grape  on 
this  road. " '—Page  326. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — ^  No. 

"  Grouchy  did  not  commence  his  march  from  Gembloux 
until  ten  in  the  morning.  At  half-past  twelve  he  had  ad- 
vanced half-way  to  Wavre,  when  he  heard  the  tremendous 
cannonade  between  the  contending  armies  at  Waterloo.  Gen- 
eral Excelmans  .  .  .  advised  him  to  march  toward  the 
direction  of  the  fire.  The  marshal  was  of  the  same  opinion, 
but  hesitated  to  disobey  his  orders.  Count  Gerard  then  came 
up  and  gave  the  same  advice.  The  marshal  was  convinced. 
.  At  this  moment  he  received  information  that  his  ad- 
vanced cavalry  had  arrived  at  Wavre,  and  were  engaged  with 
the  Prussians,  whose  forces  then  it  was  stated  amounted  to 
eighty  thousand  men.  This  determined  him  to  continue  his 
march  for  that  place."  ' — Page  328. 

P.  S.  Net's  Shorthand  Note. — >  Damn  Grouchy. 

' '  It  was  not  the  defection  of  the  marshals  of  the  army  that 
corrupted  the  soldiers  and  secured  success  to  the  enterprise. 
Even  N"ey,  who  was  executed  for  betraying  Louis,  did  not 
declare  for  Bonaparte  until  all  his  troops  .  .  .  mani- 
fested the  most  mutinous  spirit,  and  showed  that  they^  were 
determined  to  join  his  standard.  It  was  not  Ney,  nor  Mas- 
sena,  nor  any  of  the  marshals.    .     .     . " — Page  353. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note. — '  TTiey  [shorthand]  liesitated— decided  long  before 
the  event. 

"  Marshal  Soult,  Cambaceres,  Savary,  Fouche,  Carnot,  and 
many  others  were  astonished  at  the  development  of  public 
opinion."  ' — Page  353. 

P.  S.  Net's  Note.— >  (Shorthand.) 


A  VOICE 


FROM 


ST.  HELENA. 


^Ut  April,  i  8 1  r.~N  APOLEON  has  been  for  some 
days  in  very  good  spirits  On  Saturday,  the  19th,  soinc 
captains  of  East  Indiamen  came  to  see  Count  and  Coun- 
tess Bertrand.  Captains  Innes,  Campbell,  and  Ripsley, 
with  Mr.  Webb,  stationed  themselves  at  the  back  of  the 
house  in  such  a  situation  as  to  be  likely  to  see  Napoleuii 
on  his  return  from  Bertrand's,  where  he  had  gone  abou*' 

Facsimile  of  P.  S.  Net's  Writing  in  CMeara's  "  Napoleon  in  Exile."  Vol.  II.,  page  1. 


pushed  on  at  that  time,    rny  faiher-ia-Iaw   would  not 
have  been  against  me." 

Napoleon  then  said,' that  notwithstanding  the  .occupa- 
tion of  Paris  by  the  allies,  he  should  still  have  succeed- 
ed had  it  not  been  for  the  treachery  of  Marmont,  and 
have  driven  them  out  of  France.  His  plan  was  arrang- 
ed. He  was  to  have  entered  Paris  in  the  dead  of  the 
iiight.  The  whole  of  the  canaille  of  the  city  v/ere  at 
the  same  time  to  attack  the  allies  from  the  houses,  who, 
lighting  against  troops  acquainted  v;ith  the  localities, 
would  have  been  cut  to  pieces,  and  obliged  to  abandon 
the  city  with  immense  loss.  The  canaille  were  all 
ready.  (I  think  he  also  said  that  he  would  have  cut  oft" 
the  allies  from  their  park  of  artillery.)  Once  driven 
from  Paris,  the  mass  of  the  nation  would  have  ilser4 


Facsimile  of  P.  H.  Ney's  Note  in  O'Meaka's  "  Napoleon  in  Exile,"  Vol.  II.,  page  100. 


SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

BY  PETER   S.  KEY.* 


For  the  Western  Carolinian. 

On  the  15th  August,  1769,  Napoleon  Bonaparte  first  opened  his  eyes  ; 
on  6th  May,  1821,  he  closed  them  forever. 

"  Poientia  regia  defloruit, 
Fama  prmclare  viget. ' ' 

His  regal  potency  is  gone, 

His  fame  augments  with  clearer  tone. 

Fortune  may  smile  on  others  now 

As  fondly  as  she  nurtured  him  ; 
Through  life  she  had  his  ardent  vow, 

But  Fortune  always  had  her  whim. 

Awhile  she  was  a  gracious  dame 

And  strew'd  with  crowns  his  upward  path, 

LTrg'd  to  the  heights  of  pow'r  and  fame, 
Then  left  him  with  a  frown  of  wrath. 

Forthwith  from  her  prolific  womb 

Disgrace  and  honor,  splendor,  gloom. 
Defeat,  despair,  hope,  triumph  came, 

To  prop  his  pow'r  or  blast  his  name. 

They  who  had  storm  and  battle  braved 

In  agonizing  throes  expired  ; 
In  frost  and  famine,  phrenzy  raved 

Of  glory  !  Men  in  death  admired 
The  author  of  their  fate.  His  mind 
Had  not  its  lust  of  pow'r  resign'd. 

*  At  the  top  of  the  first  page  of  his  scrap-book,  from  which  these  selections  are  made, 
P.  S.  Ney  wrote  "  Original  Poetry,  &c."  (by  P.  S.  Ney).  The  scrap-book  belongs  to 
Dr.  J.  G.  Kamsay,  Cleveland,  N.  C.  P.  S.  Ney's  prose  and  poetic  writings  would  make  a 
large  book.    A  few  selections  only  are  given. 


258  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

He  knew  his  intellects  bad  rul'd 

The  storms  enthusiasts  had  rais'd  ; 
And  though  her  ardor  had  been  cool'd. 

Still  Freedom  on  bis  Eagles  gaz'd. 

With  hope  and  partial  love,  on  high 

Again  their  fearful  pinions  spread  ; 
"  Napoleon"  was  the  battle  cri^. 

And  myriads  found  a  gory  bed. 

Dame  Fortune  now  no  longer  true. 
But  tantaliz'd  at  Waterloo  ; 
An  instant  his  proud  standards  crown'd 
With  vict'ry,  then  more  darkly  frown'd — 
Oh,  let  the  fickle  jade  be  gone  ! 

Why  be  deluded  day  by  day  ? 

Let  Reason  hold  his  rightful  throne, 

Stand  at  the  helm,  direct  the  way 

To  realms  where  Fortune  cannot  come — 

To  temples,  which  she  cannot  build 

Above  the  clarichord  of  fame, 

Or  the  red  glories  of  the  field. 

Terror,  reverse  press  on  his  rear. 

For  him  there's  no  asylum  here  ; 

But  if  departed  spirits  can 

Be  charm'd  by  eulogy  from  man, 

Or  odium  have  any  pow'r 

To  wring,  beyond  the  mortal  hour, 

An  age  to  come  can  hardly  tell 

Whether  he/eeZ  a  Heav'n  or  Hell. 

The  reverie  is  darkly  deep- 
Peace,  peace  be  on  thy  final  sleep  ! 

No  more  by  trembling  kings  oppress'd  ; 
The  euphony  of  Ocean's  wave 

Compos'd  thy  mighty  mind  to  rest. 
And  Nature  form'd  thy  Island  grave. 

When  monuments,  rear'd  to  thy  foe 
Shall  feel  the  crumbling  touch  of  time, 

Thy  undecaying  tomb  will  show 
A  grandeur  similar  to  thine. 

To  the  remotest  date  thy  name 

In  living  characters  shall  pass — 
In  vain  engrav'd  is  deedless  fame 

On  stone  or  perishable  brass.  O. 


BY  PETER  S.  NET.  259 

For  the  Pee  Dee  Gazette. 
WATERLOO  AND    ITS  MONUMENTS. 

"How  are  the  mighty  fallen  !" 

Hosts  burning  to  commence  the  fray. 
With  gleaming  steel  in  long  array, 
And  riders  fierce  and  fiery  steeds 
Rush  furiously  to  desperate  deeds. 

Tremendously  the  dreadful  strife 
Divides  the  slender  ties  of  life  ; 
A  pang,  a  momentary  throe- 
Brief  harbingers  of  joy  or  woe — 
Plunge  man  at  arms  and  chiefs  of  pride 
Into  the  sanguinary  tide 
That  sweeps  o'er  ruin's  steep  cascade 
To  realms  of  light  or  Pluto's  shade. 

Battalions  retrograde — advance 

Fresh  columns  close — the  chargers  prance — 

Squadrons  aloof  in  skirmish  join, 

Or  flank  the  long,  disordered  line, 

As  when  two  gladiators  stand 

With  watchful  eye  and  ready  brand, 

A  faltering  step,  averted  eye. 

Dooms  one  antagonist  to  die. 

Wide  carnage  indicates  the  path 
Where  cannon  issue — instant  death  ; 
But  dauntless  in  the  fatal  storm 
More  proudly  swells  each  martial  form  ; 
Vengeance  and  rivalry  impart 
A  stronger  pulse  to  every  heart : 
The  Eagle  perch'd  on  standard  high 
Seems  pleased  to  view  his  foemen  die  ; 
Unruffl'd  in  the  van,  his  glance 
Prolongs  the  energies  of  France  ! 
Apt  emblem  of  the  warlike  great, 
The  idol  of  a  sinking  state. 
Whose  stern  commands  and  genius  wield 
The  fearful  movements  of  the  field. 
Britannia  shakos — her  visage  pale 
Implies  her  hopes  of  conquest  fail. 
Awful  suspense — still  valiantly 
Her  sons  repulse  each  charge  or  die. 


260  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

The  Prussians  on  the  flank  appear 
In  masses  dense,  approaching  near. 
The  imperial  guards  tlieir  standards  wave. 
Led  by  the  "  bravest  of  the  brave!" 
Oh,  brief  and  brilliant  was  the  charge  ! 
Fresh  troops  the  British  lines  enlarge  !!! 
The  Gallic  squadrons  thunder  on, 
Exclaiming,  "  Vive  Napoleon." 

Flank,  front  and  rear,  at  once  assailed, 
To  wild  uproar  the  conflict  swelled  ; 
The  blushing  sun  descends — the  night 
Augments  the  horrors  of  the  fight ; 
Distraction  and  delirium  high 
At  random  strike,  at  random  die — 
The  combatants,  both  high  and  low. 
In  mingled  carnage,  friend  and  foe. 

The  agonies  of  strife  subside. 
And  roll  in  one  promiscuous  tide 
Of  fitful  tumult  from  the  field, 
Where  thousands  fell,  where /ew  did  yield. 
"  now  are  the  mighty  fallen  !" 

And  now,  upon  the  silent  plain, 

With  art  magnificently  gay. 
Huge  monuments  arise  in  vain 

To  mark  the  struggles  of  the  day. 
In  vain  do  sculptured  tombs  arise 
To  indicate  where  valor  lies  : 
The  partial  epitaph  may  lie. 
But  great  achievements  never  die. 

The  sage  narrator.  Time,  shall  tell 

Who  bravely  fought,  who  nobly  fell — 

The  motives,  and  the  men  that  led 

To  infamy  or  honor's  bed. 

Did  love  of  glory  urge  them  on, 

Or  blind  obedience  to  a  throne  ? 

Or  did  the  cause  of  law  and  right 

Impel  them  to  disastrous  fight  ? 

'Tis  not  a  finely  sculptured  tomb 

That  gives  the  wreath  perennial  bloom  : 

All  motives  base  make  actions  mean, 

Howe'er  of  glory  mad  men  dream. 

Thus  when  some  mighty  villains  die. 
Proud  cenotaphs  ascend  on  high, 


BY  PETER  S.  NET.  361 

Which  pompous  blazonries  adorn 
With  marks  of  mockery  and  scorn. 
Not  so  when  intellectual  light 
To  higher  regions  wings  its  flight ; 
It  leaves  warm  sympathy  behind 
In  every  great  and  noble  mind. 
Where  is  the  chieftain  of  thy  pride, 
O  Gaul  !  who  did  thy  fortunes  guide  ? 
To  him  arise  no  work  of  art — 
His  urn  is  every  valiant  heart. 

Stupendous  in  the  Ocean's  wave, 
His  mighty  monument  and  grave. 
An  island  rears  her  giant  form — 
His  requiem  is  the  thunder-storm. 

These  puny  works  must  yield  to  Time, 
But  his  is  durable — sublime  : 
The  Appimi  Way,  renowned  in  song. 
Was  but  a  path  for  pleasure's  throng. 

Lo  !  where  the  Alpine  mountains  rise 
In  snowy  masses  to  the  skies — 
The  broad  Simplon  on  high  sustain 
The  chariot  swift  or  loaded  wain — 

Prodigious,  durable,  and  grand — 

An  epitaph  that  cannot  lie  ; 
The  fruitful  harvest  of  his  brand — 

The  signet  of  his  heraldry. 

S 


EPITAPH. 

"  Napoleon,  Maximum  histonm  decus.^'' 

Upon  thy  self-erected  throne 
Thy  genius  like  a  meteor  shone  ; 
The  world  beheld  thee,  and  admired  ; 
Kings  trembled,  flattered  and  retired 
Before  thy  withering  glance  ;  they  found 
Thy  mental  volume  too  profound 
For  common  kings  to  scan  :  in  fear 
They  placed  thy  mortal  relics  here, 
Lest  from  the  grave  thy  mould'ring  bones 
Might  rise  and  blast  their  rescued  thrones. 


262  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

For  the  Western  Carolinian. 

Me.  Editor  :  What  mind  does  not  feel  melancholy  and  indignant  at  the 
result  of  the  contest  for  freedom  in  Spain  ?  My  first  feelings  and  ideas, 
on  hearing  the  sickening  catastrophe,  are  submitted  to  your  disposal : 

Iberia,  who  can  deplore 

That  freedom  has  fled  from  thy  shore, 

And  left  thee  to  suffer  the  fate 

Of  thraldom,  of  priestcraft,  of  hate  ! 

The  heroes  who  rose  in  thy  cause 

For  Liberty,  Verity,  Laws, 

In  peril  abandon'd  by  thee  : 

Thou  never  deserv'st  to  be  free  I 

Go,  bow  to  the  tyrant  who  has  thee  betray 'd  ;  ' 

Go,  worship  the  puppet  that  has  thee  enslav'd  ; 

Go,  purge  thy  delusions  by  auto  dafe! 

Iberia,  thou  never  deserv'st  to  be  free  ! 

The  brave  shall  abhor  thee,  the  noble  shall  spurn  ; 

Go,  bend  to  the  priesthood  who  treat  thee  with  scorn  I 

Reflect  on  the  tombs  of  thy  heroes,  and  then 

Say  who  are  the  dastards  and  who  were  the  men  ? 

And  thou,  too,  France  ! 
Beneath  thy  victor  Eagle's  eye, 
Where  do  thy  crimson 'd  banners  fly  ? 

****** 

Fatuity  and  self  may  lead. 
Short  space,  astray  the  thoughtless  head  ; 
But  Freedom  will  not  wear  a  chain. 
Freedom  cannot  brook  disdain, 
Though  the  hand  that  binds  it  round  her 
Were  with  garlands  to  surround  her. 


The  selfish  passions  may  betray 

The  holy  rights  of  man. 
But  when  the  Mind  resumes  her  sway 

They  grasp  the  sword  again. 
Iberia,  has  the  spirit  fled 

That  should  redeem  thee  now, 
And  once  so  bright  a  lustre  shed 

Around  thy  ancient  brow  ? 

o.  r. 

Rowan,  Dec.  18,  1823. 


BY  PETER  S.  NET.  263 

For  the  Western  Carolinian. 
TO  ALL  MEN  IN  ALL  CLIMES. 

Roam  over  the  mountain. 

Sail  on  the  ■wide  sea  ; 
Go  drink  at  the  fountain 

Of  Freedom— be  free  ! 
Maintain  in  your  manhood, 

Retain  in  decline, 
Your  birthrights  as  Man  should  ; 

Be  never  supine. 

But  sailing  the  ocean, 

Traversing  the  shore, 
With  purest  devotion 

Dame  Freedom  adore  : 
Whether  Moslem  or  Catholic, 

Gentile  or  Jew, 
At  Liberty's  Altar 

Forever  be  true. 

Submit  to  no  tyrant, 

Succumb  to  no  king  ; 
Put  down  the  aspirant. 

Cut  off  Treason's  sting  ; 
Repel  the  aggressor. 

Be  true  to  your  friend  ; 
Destroy  the  oppressor, 

The  feeble  defend. 

Reflect  on  the  Roman 

And  masculine  Greek  ; 
The  former  is  no  man, 

The  latter  is  weak  ; 
You  may  be  a  giant — 

A  giant  may  fall  ; 
If  reckless,  compliant, 

A  dwarf  might  enthrall. 

Be  cautious  in  council. 

Be  brave  in  tlie  field  ; 
Give  power  to  no  numskull 

Or  scoundrel  to  wield  ; 
And  your  days  in  the  land 

May  long  be,  and  blest. 
And  Freedom  will  flourish 

When  you  sink  to  rest. 


264  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

Republics  are  giants 

When  govern 'd  aright 
By  rulers  of  energy, 

Principle,  light  : 
Devoid  of  such  guides, 

They  are  pigmies  of  pride, 
Whom  faction  divides 

And  monarchists  deride. 

All  paction^  are  vellum, 

All  Freedom  uproar, 
When  minds  intellectual 

Do  grovel — not  soar. 
Sound  culture  must  polish, 

Strong  sympathy  rule 
The  State  that  would  flourish 

In  Liberty's  school. 

Brutus. 

For  the  Spectator. 

MISSOLONGHI. 

"  Who  would  be  free,  themselves  must  strike  the  blow."— Byron. 

'Tis  not  with  Homer's  strength  I  sing, 

To  tell  the  triumphs  of  the  brave 
Who  erst  did  lofty  Iliou  bring 

To  ruin  and  a  gory  grave. 
Oh,  sad  reverse  !     On  Attic  plains 
The  Greek  has  fall'n,  the  Moslem  reigns. 
***** 

Missolonghi  has  fallen,  but  Greece  must  not  fall, 
Nor  Moslem  the  Grecian  again  put  in  thrall. 
While  civilized  man  has  a  heart  that  can  feel. 
Or  courage  has  vigor  to  brandish  the  steel. 
***** 

In  thine  own  arm,  O  Greece  !  confide  ; 
Strike  down  the  ruthless  homicide  -. 
Though  Missolonghi  is  no  more, 
Behold  thy  mountains,  rocky  shore, 

Each  island,  gulf  and  sea  ; 
Revive  !  let  not  tliy  courage  droop — 
Action  alone  produces  fruit  ; 

Be  valiant  and  be  free. 

***** 

Thy  gulf,  O  Salamis  !  can  tell 

How  Grecians  fought,  how  Persians  fell ; 


BY  PETER  S.  NEY.  265 

Twelve  thousand  ships,  destroyed  in  thee, 
Evince  the  triumphs  of  the  free. 
Think  on  Themistocles,  O  Greece  ! 
Charge  home;  and  thou  shall  conquer  peace  I 
Not  peaceful  bondage  ! — treat  with  scorn 
A  lot  to  which  no  man  was  born. 

When  thou,  by  factions  rent  apart, 
Wcnt'st  forth  with  Philip's  conquering  son. 

Didst  thou  not  show  the  lion  heart 
That  empires  at  Arbela  won  ? 

Strike,  modern  Greece  !  oh,  why  not  be 

As  great,  as  valiant,  and  more  free! 

***** 

Expel  the  tyrant  from  thy  coast  ; 

In  Europe  what  have  they  to  do  ? 
Succumb,  divide,  and  all  is  lost : 

Arise,  strike  home,  thou  must  subdue  ! 
O'er  Hellespontus  let  them  fly. 
Come  on  !  they  must  retreat  or  die. 

O. 

CATASTROPHE  AT  TERNI.* 

In  consternation  and  defeat, 

Masses  discomfited  retreat  ; 

The  bridge  above  the  falls  they  gain  ; 

No  exhortation  could  restrain 

The  headlong,  rush-confus'd  career, 

By  foes  assaulted  in  the  rear  : 

The  overloaded  fabric  fell  : 

One  shriek  of  sorrow,  mortal  throe, 

An  instant  mark'd  this  scene  of  woe, 
Amid  the  rapid,  rolling  swell 
The  surface  of  the  raging  flood 
Exhibited  no  hues  of  blood  ; 
The  cataract,  abrupt  and  dense, 
Held  agony  in  brief  suspense, 
Plunging  its  victims,  at  a  sweep, 
From  light  and  life  to  endless  sleep. 
No  corse  emerg'd,  nor  human  sound 
Has  yet  escap'd  the  gulf  profound. 

♦  "  The  falls  of  Tcrni  are  on  the  river  Velino.  Near  these  falls,  General  Pepe  took  his  posi- 
tion against  the  Austrian  army  in  1821.  Pepe  was  defeated  :  his  disordered  troops  attempted 
to  retreat  over  the  bridge,  a  short  distance  above  the  falls.  The  bridge  gave  way,  and  several 
hundred  men  were  swept  over  the  tremendous  cataract  into  a  gulf  of  unknown  depth  by  the 
irresistible  velocity  of  the  current.  No  bodies  were  ever  found  ;  that  gulf  of  unknown  depth 
is  their  sepulchre," 


366  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

Ah  !  had  they  stood  in  battle  firm, 

With  dauntless  front  and  valiant  arm, 

Proud  victory  or  honor's  grave 

Had  saved  them  from  the  ruthless  wave. 

Short-sighted  mortals  often  run 

Upon  the  fate  they  aim  to  shun. 

The  love  of  glory  and  a  name 

The  head  obscure,  the  heart  inflame  ; 

Allure  them  out  of  reason's  path. 

To  crime,  fatuity  and  death. 

That  morning  many  hearts  beat  higli, 

And  boasting  tongues  were  loud  ; 
Ere  evening  shadows  veil'd  the  sky 

They  sunk  without  a  shroud — 
Not  gloriously  in  battle  strife, 
Fighting  for  liberty  and  life. 

For  kindred  and  dear  native  land  ; 
But  ere  the  martial  conflict  rose 
To  war's  last  tug  and  desp'rate  blows, 

Flying  before  a  tyrant's  band. 
The  hardy  will  mourn 

Over  horrors  so  drear  ; 
The  heroic  will  scorn 

The  emotions  of  fear 
Which  urg'd  them  to  fly 

From  the  face  of  a  foe, 
Whom,  by  stern  bearing  higYi. 

They  might  have  laid  low. 


For  the  Pee  Dee  Gazette. 


Omega. 


"  From  thy  own  selected  spot  of  burial,  who  shall  dare  to  remove  thy  bones,  O  Wash- 
ingtou !" 

***** 

Thou  wast  no  common  man  !    Some  few 
Thy  sculptur'd  monument  might  view  ; 
But  when  old  Time  shall  ruin  bring 
Over  this  purposed  marble  thing. 
When  works  of  art  shall  disappear, 
Corroded  by  each  passing  year. 
Posterity  shall  think  of  thee, 
And  hail  thee  champion  of  the  free. 

Should  tyranny  hereafter  reign, 

To  splendid  tombs  will  freedom  fly  ? 
On  Vernon's  mount  she  will  complain. 

Where  her  great  father  first  did  lie. 


BY  PETER  S.  NET.  267 

Then  rear  his  mausoleum  high 
Upon  that  site,  but  let  no  eye 
Pervade  the  sanctity  and  gloom 
Which  shroud  his  self-selected  tomb — 
So  holy,  so  impressive  made 
By  Nature's  deep,  surrounding  shade. 

'Tis  not  respect  which,  moves  the  throng- 
To  disinter  his  dust  renown 'd  ; 

'Tis  pj'ide — 'tis  vanity— 'tis  wrong  ! 
Stir  not  his  grave  !  'tis  holy  ground! 

ON  READING  OF  THE  DEATH  OF  SIR  PHILIP  SIDNEY. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Sidney's  name, 
In  manhood's  bloom,  and  rich  in  fame  ? 
On  Zutphen's  bloody  plain  he  found. 
In  freedom's  cause,  the  mortal  wound  : 
The  soldier's  friend,  the  warrior's  pride, 
At  thirty-two  Sir  Philip  died. 

For  the  Western  Carolinian. 

"  Good  poetry  is  perfectly  consistent  witli  no  high  degree  of  precision  of  thought  or  ac- 
curacy of  expression  1 !  V—Jamiefon's  Rhetoric. 

Deep-thinking,  melancholy  man. 

Why  for  a  lioeting  phantom  sigh  1 
Thy  weary  vigils  never  can 

Unload  thy  heart,  re-light  thine  eye. 
Go,  mingle  with  the  thoughtless  gay, 

An  antidotal  charm  to  find 
Against  the  inauspicious  day 

Which  blasted  former  peace  of  mind. 
***** 

Philosophy  asserts  in  vain 

That  minds  of  strength  can  triumph  o'er 

The  keenest  intellectual  pain, 
Above  the  freaks  of  fortune  soar. 

Fallacious  ! — the  reverse  is  true  : 

The  mind  obtuse  naught  can  annoy. 
With  anguish  clearest  heads  review 

Their  withered  hopes  and  ruin'd  joy. 
Rude  imbecility  will  soar 

Where  cultur'd  energy  would  sink  ; 
The  servile  bend  and  aid  implore — 

The  free  are  brave  on  ruin's  brink. 


268  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

Did  Cato,  in  his  dread  extreme, 

Accept  of  Caesar's  proffered  boon  ? 
Did  Regulus  become  so  mean 

As  to  avoid  his  certain  doom  ? 
Corporeal  ailments  have  their  balm  ; 

But  what  physician  yet  has  found 
An  opiate  the  mind  to  calm, 

Or  close  an  intellectual  wound  ? 


For  the  Western  Carolinian. 

FOURTH  OF  JULY,  1827. 

••  To  be  unanimous  is  to  be  great ! 
When  right's  own  standard  calmly  is  unfurl'd, 
The  People  are  the  sovereigns  of  the  world." 

—Pilgrims  of  the  Sun. 

The  eagle  builds  not  in  the  vale, 

Nor  sparrows  on  the  mountain  pine, 
The  linnet  dares  not  stem  the  gale, 

Or  mount  the  storm  on  "  wing  sublime  ;" 
So  servile  hearts  have  not  the  pow'r 

To  grasp  that  magnitude  of  miud 
Which  in  the  dark  and  deathful  hour 

Supports  the  champions  of  mankind-. 
*  ♦  *  *  * 

This  day  commemorates  the  DEED 

Of  spirits  ardent,  lucid,  stern, 
Who  freedom  to  this  land  decreed. 

And  maim'd  Britannia's  potent  arm. 
***** 

Then  raged  the  conflict,  hearts  beat  high, 

Warm  kindred  blood  like  water  ran  ; 
"Death!    Liberty!'"  the  battle  cry, 

Till  TRIUMPH  crown'd  the  rights  of  muu. 
Long,  long  tliat  triumph  shall  resound, 

Its  principles  by  age  sustain'd, 
Congenial  sentiments  be  crown'd. 

Or  every  noble  heart  be  drain'd. 


Mock  not  with  monumental  spires 
The  deathless  memories  of  men 

Who  toil'd  through  famine,  flood,  and  fire 
For  "  Freedom's  guiltless  Diadem;" 


BY  PETER  S.   NET.  269 

Their  deeds  live  in  the  high  renown 

To  dauntless  hearts  alone  assign'd  ; 
The  warrior-wreath,  the  civic  crowu, 

Our  fathers'  temples  ever  bind. 

Shall  not  their  offspriug  worthy  be 

Of  such  progenitors  as  they  ? 
Indomitable — lofty — free  ! 

Till  earth  and  empire  pass  away  ? 
Fill  high  the  wine-cup  to  the  brave 

Who  rear'd  in  blood  this  Gommomoeal ; 
Forever  like  your  sires  behave  ! 

The  EAGLE  builds  not  in  the  vale. 


D, 


For  the  Pee  Dee  Gazette. 

EIGHTH  JANUARY,  1815. 

"  Bella,  horrida  bella.'" 

On  tented  field  and  forest  lone 
The  parting  beams  of  Phoebus  shone  ; 
At  New  Orleans  in  luckless  hour 
The  Briton  landed  with  his  power, 
His  heart  elate — his  ardent  sigh, 
His  fervid  pulse,  his  glistening  eye. 
Were  quenched  upon  the  gory  plain 
Before  those  beams  return'd  again. 

Beneath  the  royal  lion's  eye] 
Warr'd  martial  knights  and  barons  high, 
Battalions  which  had  borne  away 
The  palm  on  many  a  bloody  day  ; 
Their  leader  tried,  and  culled  beside 
From  chivalry's  heroic  pride. 

Warm  and  precipitantly  rash, 
Upon  our  lines  their  columns  dash  ; 
But,  soon  astounded,  roll  away 
As  from  the  rocks  recoils  the  spray. 

Collected  in  the  dreadful  strife. 
As  in  the  calmest  scenes  of  life, 
Jackson  surveyed  with  skillful  eyes 
The  aspect  of  the  dread  emprise  ; 
Sagacious,  unappall'd  and  firm. 
Prompt  to  repel,  quick  to  discern. 
He  deem'd  not  that  the  vet'ran  host 
Repuls'd — conceive  the  battle  lost. 


270  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

Inur'd  to  war,  the  valiant  band 
Retreat  apace,  then  bravely  stand, 
Promptly  their  broken  ranks  reform. 
More  firmly  re-advance  to  storm, 
And  with  Columbia's  sons  engage 
In  deadlier  ire  and  fiercer  rage. 
Their  leaders  fall  !  their  boldest  die  ! 
Again  they  retrograde  !  they  fly  !  !  ! 
In  purple  torrents  rolled  the  flood 
Of  Mississippi  with  their  blood. 

With  plumage  unruffled  the  Eagle  ascended  ; 
His  pathway  the  plaudits  of  conquest  attended  I 
The  Lion,  reluctant,  retired  from  his  slain, 
Divested  of  laurels,  and  shorn  of  his  mane. 

For  the  Western  Carolinian. 
THE  EQUINOX. 

"Insanire  JuvaV—Hor. 

The  tempest  raves  without,  anJ  I 
Will  rave  in  unison  within  ; 

From  constant  gravity  to  fly 
Can  be  no  deep  or  deadly  sin. 

Pour  out  the  cheering  wine,  my  boy, 

We  mean  to  pass  a  night  of  joy. 

Incessant  study  sours  the  mind, 
As  ceaseless  sunshine  taints  the  air  ; 

Nature  is  provident  and  kind — 
She  only  frowns  to  be  more  fair. 

Then  let  us  have  a  storm  of  mirth, 

To  give  serene  ideas  birth. 

Another  peal,  another  glass. 

That  flash  how  awful  and  sublime  ! 
How  fleet  the  coruscations  pass — 

Bright  emblems  of  the  light  Divine  ! 
This  nectar  gleams  before  my  sight, 
A  Pharos  in  this  dreadful  night. 

'Tis  not  in  levity  or  fear 
We  treat  this  dread  tremendous  hour. 

But  in  deep  confidence  and  cheer, 
Submissive  to  the  ruling  power. 

Let  trembling  guilt  its  head  conceal — 

True  hearts  no  trepidation  feel. 


BT  PETER  8.   NET.  271 

The  storm  subsides — the  midnight  c'limc 
Has  struck — the  ground  is  drenched  with  ruin  ; 

'Tis  time  to  sleep  ;  put  by  the  wine, 
We'll  drink  when  tempests  rave  again  ; 

For  they  must  be  devoid  of  flaws, 

Who  thus  conform  to  nature's  laws. 

O. 

DUELING. 

1.  Dueling  can  derive  no  sanction  either  from  laws  human  or  divine. 
The  laws  of  nature  condemn  it  ;  reason  condemns  it ;  prudence  condemns  it. 

2.  Passions  are  its  parents,  public  opinion  its  nurse. 

3.  Duelists  equally  detest  themselves  and  those  whose  fastidious  punctilios 
urge  them  to  the  alternative  of  death  or  disgrace.* 

DURING  A  THUNDER-STORM  ON  THE  NIGHT  OF  MAY  30,  1828. 

Terrific  is  the  stormy  night : 
How  grand,  how  brilliant  is  the  light ! 
Flashing  in  sheets  of  living  flame 
The  index  to  Jehovah's  name. 
The  mightiest  man  is  nothing  now — 
Awe  crouches  on  the  loftiest  brow  ; 
From  nerveless  hands  the  sceptres  fall 
Which  keep  innumerary  hosts  in  thrall. 
The  rich,  the  poor,  the  meek,  the  proud. 
In  one  promiscuous  group  is  bowed 
At  thy  tremendous  presence.  Lord  ! 
In  storms  alone  Thou  art  adored. 

''QUID  STAT?" 

— Horace. 

To  youth  and  health  in  vain  we  trust 
To  guard  us  from  our  parent  dust ; 
Deform'd  and  fair,  and  old  and  young, 
Are  doom'd  to  mingle  there  erelong. 

Our  guardian  genius  may  defend 

From  dire  mishaps  our  brief  career, 
But  death  will  level  foe  and  friend. 

And  leave  the  wreck  of  nature  here. 

Then,  mortals,  be  prepar'd  to  go 

Where  all  the  Godly  hope  to  rest  ; 
You  cannot  long  remain  below  : 

Perhaps  this  change  is  for  the  best. 

•  Protably  written  after  the  duel  'between  Wellington  and  Lord  Winchilsea  in  1829. 


J 72  SPECIMENS  OF  POETBT 

FAME. 


And  thus  heroes  would  perish  much  rather  thau  fly, 
And  their  greatest  desire  is  in  triumph  to  die. 

Thus  Nelson,  the  Briton,  when  navies  were  sinking, 

Received  his  death-wound  without  sighing  or  shrinking  ; 

When  the  flag  of  his  foeman  was  laid  at  his  feet, 

He  smiled,  and  considered  his  glory  complete— 

His  spirit  enraptured  to  know  that  his  name 

Should  blazon  forever  the  tablet  of  fame. 

Thus  Wolfe,  valiant  Wolfe,  the  young,  ardent  and  brave, 

Would  not  have  commuted  his  own  gory  grave 

For  the  crown  and  the  sceptre  his  monarch  then  swayed  : 

His  name  is  eternal,  his  king's  has  decayed. 

"  dive  unto  the  Lord  the  glory  due  unto  7iis  name ;  icorship  the  Lord  in 
tlie  beauty  of  holiness.'' — Ps.  xxix.  2. 

When  virgin  voices  sweetly  blend 
With  manly  tones,  and  both  ascend 
Harmonious  on  the  dulcet  air, 
How  soooth'd  is  then  the  listening  ear  ! 
Sweet  symphonies  the  heart  disarm 
And  all  our  sterner  passions  charm. 

When  brooding  over  former  climes. 
And  perils  passed  in  distant  climes, 
Defeat  and  glory  all  are  gone, 
Like  dreams,  before  Louisa's*  tone  ; 
Harsh  thunders  of  the  battle-field 
To  soft,  melodious  accents  yield. 

But  when  the  holy  anthem  swells 
That  speaks  where  Christ  in  glory  dwells. 
When  ho2')e  and  faith  imited  say  : 
"  Leave  worldly  schemes  and  come  this  way," 
Thrones,  dynasties,  and  martial  pow'r 
Appear  the  playthings  of  an  hour — 
Seducing,  evanescent,  vain. 
The  pompous  phantoms  of  a  worldly  brain. 
18  May,f  1831. 

*  Madame  Ney'a  Christian  name  was  Louise  Aglje.  The  Marshal  probably  called  her 
Louise— Louisa  in  English.  She  had  a  remarkably  sweet  yo\ce.—Memoi7's  of  Madame  de 
Etimisat. 

+  On  the  18th  day  of  May,  1804,  Cambac^res,  as  President  of  the  Senate,  "proclaimed 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  Emperor  of  the  French." 


BY  PETER  S.  NET.  273 

THE  CABBAGE  PARBOILED  !  !  1 

Best  of  the  garden,  why  should  we 
Withhold  a  stanza  due  to  thee  ? 
Roses  may  entertain  the  eye 

And  gratify  the  smell : 
With  cabbage  and  good  bacon  I 

Can  hunger's  tooth  repel. 
Pride  of  the  kitchen,  why  should  we 
Withhold  the  praises  due  to  thee  ? 

Let  emblematic  flowers  imply 

Emotions  tongues  cannot  explain  ; 
Good  cabbages  well  cook'd  defy 

Keen  appetites,  and  life  sustain. 
Boast  of  the  dinner-table,  we 
Award  these  praises  due  to  thee, 
We  could  give  thee  a  stceeter  name, 
But  still  thy  virtues  are  the  same. 


TO  FALLEN   AMBITION.* 

Where  is  that  lofty  spirit  now 
That  swell'd  to  rule  thy  fellow-man — 

The  coronet  that  graced  thy  brow. 
When  once  triumphant  in  the  van. 

Vast  armies  followed  thy  behest, 

And  crowned  with  victory  thy  crest  ? 

Gone,  where  all  human  things  must  go. 
Beneath  Time's  rotatory  wheel ! 

Perhaps  'tis  best  that  it  is  so. 
To  give  thee  space  thy  heart  to  heal 

Of  those  deep  Avounds  Ambition  made 

lu  thy  poor  heart,  which  turn'd  thy  head. 


REPLY— BY  THE  FALLEN  MAN.f 

Freedom,  to  thee  I  most  atone, 

For  quenching  once  thy  innate  flame  ; 

My  bosom  is  thy  native  home. 
Thy  triumph  is  my  highest  fame. 

Forgive  me  if  I  once  did  stray 

Unconscious  from  thy  splendid  way. 


Cabus. 


*  Dedicated  (in  cipher)  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

t  In  cipher. 


2H  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

TO  MISS  J.  E.  T 

The  Ruling  Passion. 

Jesting  aside,  my  doubting  heart 

Endures  for  him  the  keenest  smart. 

Love,  if  thou  wilt  intrude  upon  us, 

I  wish  thou  wouldst  not  Hope  take  from  us. 

Zenobia,  it  is  said,  disdain'd 

A  captive  to  be  led  enchain'd 

Before  Aurelian's  gorgeous  car, 

Environ'd  by  the  pomp  of  war. 

True— for  the  female  heart  disdains 

Hymen,  if  he  come  with  chains. 

Tell  him,  Eros,  I'll  be  free, 

Even  though  he  marrj^  me. 

Love  I  will,  but  not  obey, 
Unless  he  let  me  have  my  way. 
He  has  paid  on  bended  knee 
Homage  duly  sworn  to  me  ! 
Why  then  should  a  subject  rule  me  ? 
No,  by  Jove,  he  shall  not  fool  me. 
Wife  or  maiden,  I  must  still 
Be  supreme  and  have  my  will. 

G'EST  VRAH* 

The  coldest  heart  that  ever  beat 

Has  some  emotions  warm — 
Some  little,  secret,  sweet  retreat 

That  has  a  latent  charm. 

A  cold  exterior  may  display 

To  superficial  eyes 
A  breast  in  which  Love's  vivid  ray 

Just  enters  in  and  dies. 

Yet  in  that  bosom's  deep  recess. 

Volcanic  flames  may  burn, 
Which  disappointed  hopes  repress, 

And  feelings  fine  inurn. 

CUPID. 

Cupid  is  a  changeling 

Requiring  much  art. 
To  keep  him  from  mangling 

The  chords  of  the  heart. 

*  From  an  album  which  belonged  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Graham,  Salem  Academy,  N.  C,  1845. 


BT  FETER  S.  NET.  275 

"  A  Friend"  wrote  in  Miss  Allison's  album  that  the  man  whose 
heart  music  could  not  melt  was 

"  the  Muses'  scorn- 
Fit  only  to  delve 

In  Mammon's  dirty  mine — 
Sneak  with  a  scoundrel  fox, 

Or  grunt  wdth  glutton  swine." 

REPLY  BY  P.  S.  NEY. 

Is  there  a  female  heart  who  can 
Duly  estimate  the  man — 
Not  by  music's  dulcet  tone, 
But  by  moral  worth  alone  ? 

***** 

Testing  virtue  by  the  ear 
Is  a  standard  wond'rous  queer  ! 
By  that  rule,  this  Friend  of  thine 
Dooms  to  grovel  with  the  swine 
Many  minds  acute  and  clear 
That  can  think,  but  can  not  Jiear. 
My  spirits  with  emotion  swell 
At  Music's  voice  attemper'd  well ; 
Yet  many  men,  profound,  sublime. 
Are  strangers  to  the  tuneful  nine. 
Tlierefore,  sweet  friend,  forbear  to  blame 
Great  numbers  who  have  soar'd  to  fame. 

Whom  does  the  cap  fit  ?— Nescio. 


21  Jan'y,  1839. 


May,  1838. 


TO  MISS  SARAH  * 

***** 

Thy  sparkling  eyes  and  temples  fair 
May  feel  through  life  some  of  my  care. 
But  if  I  dare  a  prophet  turn. 
They  ne'er  with  agony  shall  burn 
Or  feel  that  soul-consuming  flame 
That  scorch'd  me  on  the  steeps  of  fame. 


"WESTWARD  THE  STAR  OF  EMPIRE  TAKES  ITS  WAY." 

— Bishop  Berkeley. 

Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  its  way, 

Easticard  the  shadows  darken  fast — 
An  infant  realm  is  rising  on  the  day 

Far  mightier  than  mighty  past. 
•  From  P.  S.  Ney's  School  Register. 


276  SPECIMENS  OF  POETRY 

EPITAPH  ON  HON.   MICHAEL  HOKE,*  LINCOLNTON,  N.  C. 

{By  request.) 

Among  the  manly,  Hoke  was  foremost  fouud. 
Of  mind  capacious  and  of  morals  sound  ; 
In  public  spirit  and  in  private  worth, 
His  State  ne'er  gave  a  nobler  being  birth, 
All  mourned  the  exit  of  his  early  prime. 
But  all  must  yield  to  the  decrees  diviue. 


April,  1845. 


EGOTISM— AH  !  f 

Vast  Genius  laid  his  hand 

Upon  this  shining  page, 
And  here  his  mark  shall  stand 

Distinct  from  age  to  age. 
Away  prim  manikins  will  pass. 
But  Ney  remains  an  age  of  brass. 

"  GONE,  WITH  THEIR  GLORIES  GONE."  X 

Though  I  of  the  chosen  the  choicest. 

To  Fame  gave  her  loftiest  tone  ; 
Though  I  'mong  the  brave  was  the  bravest, 

My  plume  and  my  baton  are  gone  ! 

The  Eagle  that  pointed  to  conquest 

Was  struck  from  his  altitude  high, 
A  prey  to  a  vulture  the  foulest. 

No  more  to  revisit  the  sky. 

One  sigh  to  the  hope  that  has  perished, 

One  tear  to  the  wreck  of  the  past, 
One  look  upon  all  I  have  cherished, 

One  lingering  look — 'tis  the  last. 

And  now  from  remembrance  I  banish 
The  glories  which  shone  in  my  train  ; 

Oh,  vanish,  fond  memories,  vanish  ! 
Return  not  to  sting  me  again 
May  26,  1835. 

•  A  man  of  great  ability,  and  of  high  character,  the  grandfather  of  Secretary  Hoke  Smith. 

+  From  Mrs.  Stirewalt's  album.    The  last  line  was  afterwards  changed  to  : 
"  But  Ney  remains  a  man  of  brass." 

t  From  Mrs.  Dalton's  album.  See  p.  156,  note  at  bottom.  P.  S.  Ney  wrote  the  same 
piece  of  poetry  in  Miss  Allison's  album;  it  is  entitled  "Farewell,"  and  was  written  in 
March,  1838.  He  copies  "  Napoleon's  Farewell,"  by  Byron,  and  then  writes  his  own  Fare- 
well. 


BT  PETER  S.   NET.  277 

From  the  Charlotte  Chronicle* 

"The  following  wa8  published  forty-seven  years  ago  in  the  C'harluUe  JouriuU,  and  wan 
composed  by  a  man  who  called  himself  Marshal  Ney  :  " 

A  ROVER. 

"  '  Ah  me  ! '  said  Hannibal,  when  recalled  from  Italy." 

An  atom  on  the  atmosphere, 
Tossed  here  and  there  and  everywhere  ; 
No  female  hand  to  press  my  head 
Or  close  mine  eyes  when  I  am  dead  ; 
No  feeling  friend  to  whisper  peace 
And  bid  my  erring  passions  cease 
Their  wild  uproar — no  kindred — none. 
An  exile  from  my  native  home, 
A  wanderer,  like  Cain,  am  I, 
And  only  agonize  to  die. 

Yes,  agony  must  be  my  lot 
"While  sensibility  is  mine  ! 

Yet  shall  I  never  be  forgot, 
Or  silent  sink  to  latest  time. 
High  on  the  pyramid  of  fame, 
The  bravest  of  the  brave,  my  name 
Shall  shine.     Oh,  sweet,  consoling  thought ! 
When  I  am  gone  I  shall  not  be  forgot. 

•  Date  torn  off ;  probably  published  in  1890. 


NAPGL 


IN  EXILE 


>t«  (von  §u  '^iUm. 


J 


MBER, 


18^ 


!uve  of  what  was  my  opinion  at  that  time  about  Wright 
is  faint ;  but  as  well  as  1  can  recollect^  it  ivas,  that 
he  ought  to  have  been  brought  before  a  military  com- 
mission for  having  landed  spies  and  assassins,  and  tW 
sentence  executed  within  forty-eight  hours.    What  dis- 


excf  pt  to  him,  was  imperatively  necessary,  and  indee 
the  chief  requisite." 

His  excellency  then  told  me,  in  order,  as  he  said,  to 
show  the  good  opinion  that  he  entertained  of  me,  that 

VOL.  t. 


J^gy 


SrEtiMENs  OF  P.  S.  Ney's  Signature  written  in  O'Meara's  " Napoleon  in  Exile.'* 


SUMMARY. 


The  evidence  presented  in  the  preceding  pages  proves  con- 
clusively, I  think,  that  Peter  S.  Key  was  Marshal  Ney,*  Of 
course  the  evidence  must  be  considered  as  a  whole  and  not  in 
detached  portions. f  Tlie  physical  resemblance  between  P.  S. 
ISTey  and  Marshal  Ney  is  perfect.  Marshal  Key  was  large, 
tall — a  httle  more  than  five  feet,  eleven  inches  high  ("  cinque 
jpieds^  cinqice pouoes' '') — athletic,  broad-shouldered,  full-chest- 
ed, symmetrically  built.  ' '  Each  attitude  and  motion  denoted 
health  and  strength  of  muscle."  His  head  was  very  large, 
partially  bald,  high  behind,  tlattish  on  top,  oval,  long  from 
front  to  back  ;  hair  auburn  or  red  ;  complexion  florid  ;  fore- 
head high,  broad,  full  ;  eyebrows  heavy,  jutting,  prominent 
("  his  face,"  says  one  writer,  "  was  slightly  disfigured  by  his 
beetling  brows")  ;  eyes  blue  or  gray,  sunken,  not  ungentle  in 
repose,  but  keen,  piercing,  flaming,  terrible  when  excited  ; 
nose  high,  broad  at  the  base,  and  slightly  turned  up  {retrousse) 
at  the  end  ;  mouth  medium,  straight,  firm  ;  lips  compressed, 
the  under  lip  a  little  thicker  than  the  upper  ;  jaws  massive  ; 

*  See  "  Memoirs  of  Marshal  Ney  ;"  Goodrich's  "  History  of  Napoleon 
and  his  Marshals  ;"  "  Court  and  Camp  of  Bonaparte  ;"  "  The  Conscript," 
Erckmann-Chatrian  ;  "  Memoirs  of  Miles  Byrne,  Chef  de  Battalion,"  etc.  ; 
"  Reflexions  surles  Notes  du  ]\Ioniteuret  Notes  Biographiques,  par  un  Ami 
de  la  Verite,  London,  1810  ;"  Thiers'  "  History  of  the  Consulate  and  Em- 
pire ;"  Headley's  "  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals  ;"  Lever's  "  Tom  Burke 
of  Ours  ;"  "  Le  Marechal  Ney,  le  Soldat,"  etc.  ;  Fezcnsac's  "  Memoirs  ;" 
Maiseau's  "  Life  of  Marshal  Ney  ;"  Segur's  "  Russian  Campaign  ;"  Cape- 
figue's  "  Europe  During  the  Consulate  and  the  Empire  ;"  Lamartine's 
"  History  of  the  Restoration  ;"  Welschinger's  "  Le  Marechal  Ney,  1815  ;" 
Sir  Robert  Wilson's  "  Secret  History  of  the  Russian  Campaign  of  1813  ;" 
Napier's  "  History  of  the  Peninsular  War  ;"  statues  and  portraits  of  Ney  ; 
encyclopedias,  etc. 

f  Very  much  of  the  evidence  cannot  be  specifically  alluded  to  in  a  sum- 
mary like  this. 


280  SUMMARY. 

chin  large,  round,  prominent  ;  neck  large  and  rather  short  ; 
step  quick  and  active  ;  face  marked  with  small-pox  ;  voice 
deep,  guttural,  rich,  strong  ;  expression  open,  stern,  thought- 
ful, commanding.  This  is  an  accurate  description  of  Marshal 
Ney.     It  is  an  accurate  description  of  Peter  S.  N^ej. 

Again,  Peter  S.  Ney  was  like  Marshal  Ney  as  to  liis  mind, 
character,  disposition,  manners,  habits,  tastes,  temperament, 
etc.  Marshal  Ney  had  a  sound,  strong,  clear,  acute,  vigorous, 
practical  mind.  He  was  brave,  bold,  daring,  intrepid,  calm, 
and  cool  in  the  hour  of  peril  or  need,  active,  energetic,  prompt, 
painstaking,  methodical,  self-den jing  (though  heady  at  times), 
modest,  kind,  gentle,  affectionate,  tender,  honest,  just,  gener- 
ous, frank,  open,  blunt,  rough  (though  not  coarse*),  impul- 
sive, quick-tempered,  sometimes  offending  his  best  friends  by 
the  plainness  and  severity  of  his  language,  yet  always  careful 
to  make  the  amplest  reparation  for  any  wrong  done  when  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  had  passed  away — a  good,  though 
not  implacable  hater,  a  true  friend,  grave,  dignified  (yet  witty 
and  humorous  at  times),  plain  (despising  the  fashions  and  frip- 
peries of  life),  proud  (though  not  haughty),  independent,  yet 
grateful  for  the  smallest  attention  or  kindness  ;  patriotic,  an 
ardent  lover,  nay,  a  devout  worshipper  of  Freedom,  ready  to  die 
at  any  moment  in  defence  of  her  holy  cause — a  man  of  great 
personal  magnetism  and  immense  moral  power,  who  exercised  a 
controlling  influence  over  almost  all  persons  who  were  brought 
into  association  with  him.  Such  was  Marshal  Ney.  Such  was 
Peter  S.  Key. 

Peter  S.  l^ey  used  tobacco,  and  drank  wine  and  spirits — 
sometimes  to  excess.  Marshal  Ney  used  tobacco  and  drank  wine 
and  spirits,  though  not  to  excess,  so  far  as  1  know.  His  busy 
and  eventful  life  left  him  little  time  or  opportunity  for  dissipa- 
tion of  any  kind,  even  if  he  had  been  so  inclined.  Alexander 
Dumas  says  that  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  about  three  o'clock 
P.M.,  Napoleon,  Ney,  Soult,  aad  Jerome — Ney  and  Jerome 
covered  with  dust  and  blood — discussed  a  bottle  of  Bordeaux 
wine.     "  Napoleon,  with  that  soft  voice  of  his,  which  he  knew 

*  I  draw  Byron's  distinction.  Byron  says  that  Burns  was  rough,  but 
not  coarse. 


SUiVMARY,  381 

so  well  how  to  use  upon  occasion,  said  to  Ney,  '  Ney,  my 
brave  N"ey' — tkou'mg  him  for  the  first  time  since  his  return 
from  Elba — '  thou  wilt  take  the  twelve  thousand  men  of  Mil- 
haud  and  Kellermann  ;  thou  wilt  wait  until  my  old  p^rumblers 
have  found  thee  ;  thou  wilt  give  the  coup  de  houtoir  ;  and 
then,  if  Grouchy  arrives,  the  day  is  ours.  Go.'  Ney  went 
and  gave  the  coup  de  houtoir,  but  Grouchy  never  came."  * 

At  the  battle  of  Bautzen,  in  May,  1813,  Ney  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  right  foot.  He  spent  the  night  after  the  vic- 
tory in  a  chateau  near  the  battlefield  ;  f  and  "  disdaining  to 
use  a  bedstead,  he  pulled  a  mattress  to  the  floor  and  threw 
himself  upon  it.  One  of  his  aides-de-camp  and  the  officer  of 
the  guard  at  the  chateau  ransacked  the  building  in  search  of 
food,  but  only  succeeded  in  finding  a  considerable  quantity  of 
rare  old  Tokay,  which  they  at  once  confiscated.  "When  the 
marshal  awoke  he  was  informed  of  the  '  find,'  and  as  the  night 
was  inclement,  he,  with  his  characteristic  warm-heartedness, 
ordered  all  the  guard  except  the  pickets  to  take  up  their  quar- 
ters in  the  chateau,  as  they  would  be  more  comfortable  there 
than  around  their  bivouac  fires.  He  also  invited  all  the  offi- 
cers in  the  neighborhood  to  come  and  share  his  hospitality. 
They  all  '  worshipped  the  rosy  god'  that  night,  but  of  course 
there  was  no  dissipation.  They  left  early  the  next  morning, 
the  Emperor  and  Marshal  Key  leading  the  way."  :j:  In  his 
"  French  Revolutions,"  Redhead  says  Ney  "  took  a  copious 
draught  of  wine  just  before  he  started  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, having  previously  smoked  a  Havana  cigar,  as  was  his 
custom." 

Peter  S.  Ney's  surroundings  were  entirely  different  from 
those  of  Marshal  Ney  prior  to  his  supposed  execution  in  1815. 
It  is  known  that  Peter  S.  Ney  was  not  at  all  intemperate  until 
the   death  of  !Napoleon,  in  1821,   when  he  said  to  Colonel 

*  "  Excursions  sur  les  Bords  du  Rhin,"  par  Alexandre  Dumas. 

f  The  marshal's  foot  was  "  bound  up  in  a  napkin.  He  had  been  wound- 
ed in  the  battle,  but  said  nothing  about  it.  Doubtless  he  considered  any 
wound  that  did  not  break  a  bone  a  mere  nothing." — "  Memoirs"  of  Miles 
Bj'rne. 

X  "  Memoirs"  of  Miles  Byrne,  Chef  de  Battalion,  etc. 


282  SUMMABY. 

Rogers,  "  With  the  death  of  l^apoleon  my  last  hope  is  gone." 
Marshal  Ney  worshipped  l^apoleon.  Peter  S.  Ney  wor- 
shipped Kapoleon.  Marshal  Key  possessed  so  strong  and 
hardy  a  constitution  that  he  seemed  to  be  able  almost  to  defy 
the  ordinary  laws  of  nature.  He  ate  sparingly  of  the  plainest 
and  simplest  food,  and  required  very  little  sleep  or  rest  of  any 
kind.  'No  amount  of  toil,  or  care,  or  privation,  or  suffering, 
or  exposure  to  heat  or  cold,  or  wind,  or  sleet,  or  storm  could 
break  him  down.  So  Peter  S.  ITeyate  sparingly  of  the  plain- 
est and  simplest  food,  and  slept  but  four  or  five  hours  out  of 
the  twenty -four.  He  was  little  affected  either  by  heat  or  cold. 
In  the  coldest  weather  he  would  not  sit  near  the  fire.  He  was 
an  indefatigable,  proud,  ambitious  worker.  "  A  soul  of  fire 
seemed  to  be  contained  in  a  frame  of  iron."  Marshal  Ney's 
filial  love  was  very  great.  His  mother  was  especially  dear  to 
him.  He  loved  his  wife  with  that  old-fashioned,  knightly 
devotion  of  which  the  brave  alone  are  capable.  He  was  ten- 
derly attached  to  his  children.  He  was  a  model  son  and  hus- 
band and  father.  So  Peter  S.  ]!^ey  often  spoke  of  his  mother 
and  wife  and  children,  and  always  in  terms  of  the  utmost 
affection  and  tenderness.  He  was  true  to  his  wife  during  his 
long  residence  in  this  country,  and  almost  with  his  dying 
breath  he  said,  "  Oh,  I  can't  stand  it  any  longer.  If  I  get 
well  I  must  go  back  to  France  to  see  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren." 

Marshal  Key  was  a  fair  musician,  and  had  some  artistic  tal- 
ent. Lavalette  says,  "  The  marshal  played  tolerably  well  on 
the  flute,  and  repeatedly  played  a  waltz,"  etc.  So  Peter  S. 
Ney  often  played  on  a  flute  and  played  "  tolerably  well. " 
Marshal  Key  had  little  time  to  cultivate  his  artistic  talent. 
Peter  S.  Key's  drawings  and  j)aintings  possessed  considerable 
merit.  Marshal  Key  was  noted  for  the  ease  and  grace  with 
which  he  rode  the  most  vicious  and  fiery  horses.  So  was 
Peter  S.  Key.  Marshal  Key  was  the  finest  fencer  in  Europe, 
with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  Marshal  Murat,  and  he  was 
fully  equal  to  him.  So  Peter  S.  Key  was  a  perfect  master  of 
the  art  of  fencing.  He  was  far  superior  to  any  man,  soldier 
or  civilian,  in  the  United  States.     Marshal  Key  was  thor- 


SUMMARY.  283 

OTiglilj  acquainted  with  everything  pertaining  to  the  art  of 
war.  So  was  Peter  S.  Ney.  I  do  not  know  whether  Marshal 
!Ney  had  any  poetic  talent  or  not.  But  there  is  more  or  less 
poetry  in  every  one's  nature  ;  and  a  man  of  Xey's  brains  and 
energy  was  capable,  especially  under  favorable  conditions,  of 
accomplishing  almost  anything.  Some  of  the  plainest,  stern- 
est, most  illustrious  warriors,  in  whom  the  poetic  faculty  is 
supposed  not  to  reside,  have  been  very  fond  of  poetry,  and 
capable  of  writing  it  too.  Moses,  David,  Csesar,  Frederick 
the  Great,  JS^apoleon* — all  courted  the  muse,  and  some  of  them 
with  decided  success.  Many  men  who  have  won  fame  in  some 
particular  calling  are  exceedingly  anxious  to  do  that  for  which 
they  are  generally  supposed  to  have  little  ability  or  no  ability 
at  all.  Good,  old,  brusque,  homely,  clumsy  Dr.  Johnson  was 
one  day  persuaded  to  go  out  rabbit-hunting.  He  was  given  a 
fleet,  spirited  charger,  which  the  doctor  was  wholly  unable  to 
control.  He  outstripped  perforce  all  his  competitors,  and  was 
loudly  and  enthusiastically  proclaimed  the  hero  of  the  day. 
Dr.  Johnson  afterward  said  that  he  was  prouder  of  that  com- 
pliment than  of  any  he  had  ever  received.  Wellington  one 
day,  in  a  thick  forest,  killed  with  his  own  hands,  unaided,  an 
enormous  wild  boar,  "  of  which  feat,"  says  one  of  his  friends, 
"he  was  prouder  than  of  Waterloo."  Peter  S.  K^ey  wrote 
poetry,  and  was  proud  of  the  accomplishment.  He  wrote  some 
very  good  poetry. 

Marshal  ]^ey  was  wounded  several  times — in  the  foot,  knee, 
thigh,  hand,  arm,  chest,  neck.  Peter  S.  Ney  was  wounded 
in  the  foot,  knee,  thigh,  hand,  arm  and  chest — no  one  recol- 
lects that  he  had  a  wound  in  the  neck.  But  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses who  was  with  him  when  he  died  says,  "  He  had  wounds 
all  over  him,  but  I  cannot  recollect  the  location  and  character 
of  every  wound."  The  sabre  cut  on  the  left  side  of  his  head, 
to  which  so  many  witnesses  refer,  cannot  historically  be  ac- 
counted for.  Marshal  Ney,  so  far  as  1  know,  had  no  wound 
of  this  kind.     Peter  S.  Ney  told  a  few  witnesses  that  he  re- 


*  At  St.  Helena  Napoleon  wrote  a  poem  suggested  by  the  portrait  of 
his  son. 


284  SUMMARY. 

ceived  the  sabre  wound  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo.    In  a  poem 
referring  to  the  battle  of  Waterloo  he  says  : 

"  Where  broken  bones  and  fractured  skull 
Had  all  but  ruined  this  poor  hull." 

(See  Mr.  Ervin's  testimony.)  Mi*.  W.  M.  Reinhardt  says  : 
"  Mr.  Ney  told  me  one  day,  while  I  was  cutting  his  hair,  how 
he  received  the  sabre  wound.  He  said  that  during  the  battle 
of  Waterloo  he  happened  to  come  in  contact  with  an  English 
officer  named  Ponsonby — I  think  he  said  General  Ponsonby — 
and  that  in  the  melee  Ponsonby  gave  him  this  wound,  but 
that  he  cut  Ponsonby  down,  and  broke  his  sword  in  doing  so. 
This  is  my  recollection  of  the  matter,  and  I  do  not  see  how  I 
can  be  mistaken."  Now,  General  William  Ponsonby  was 
killed  in  a  cavalry  charge  at  Waterloo,  and  Colonel  Frederick 
Ponsonby  was  badly  wounded.  He  was  disabled  in  both  arms 
by  sabre  blows,  and  fell  from  his  horse  apparently  dead.  He 
lay  upon  the  ground  unconscious  for  several  hours.  Marshal 
Ney  in  all  probability  encountered,  face  to  face,  in  actual  per- 
sonal combat,  one  of  these  men  or  both.  According  to  Dumas, 
Ney  was  "  covered  with  dust  and  hlood.''''  Victor  Hugo  says, 
"  Ney,  one  of  his  epaulettes  half  cut  through  by  the  sabre  cut 
of  a  horse  guard,  and  his  decoration  of  the  great  eagle  dinted 
by  a  bullet — hleeding,  muddy,  magnificent,  and  holding  a 
hrohen  sword  in  his  hand,  shouted,  '  Come  and  see  how  a  mar- 
shal of  France  dies  on  the  battlefield.  .  .  .  Oh,  is  there  noth- 
ing for  me  P  "*  Ney  himself  says,  ''  Constantly  in  the  rear 
guard,  which  I  followed  on  foot,  having  all  my  horses  killed, 
worn  out  with  fatigue,  covered  with  contusions,  and  having 
no  longer  strength  to  march,  I  owe  my  life  to  a  corporal  who 
supported  me  on  the  road,  and  did  not  abandon  me  during 
the  retreat."  f 

Of  course  there  was  no  official  record  of  wounds  received 
even  by  the  higher  officers,  as  Napoleon  and  his  empire  were 
completely  overthrown.  Peter  S.  Ney  understood  the  English 
language,  and  spoke  it  well,  with  very  little  foreign  accent. 

*  "  Les  Miserables."  f  Letter  to  Fouche,  June  26th,  1815. 


SUMMARY.  285 

Marshal  Ney  understood  the  Englisli  language,  and  spoke  it 
easily  and  fluently.  When  Marshal  Grouchy  was  in  this  country 
in  181 9  he  was  asked  this  question  :  ' '  Could  Marshal  Ney  speak 
the  English  language?"  "Certainly  he  could,"  replied 
Grouchy.  And  he  mentioned  that  on  one  occasion,  in  the 
early  years  of  the  French  Revolution,  when  he  and  Ney 
served  together  in  the  same  army,  some  English  prisoners 
were  taken,  and  that  Ney  talked  with  them  in  their  own  lan- 
guage. General  Lallemand,  of  the  French  array,  also  said 
that  Ney  understood  the  English  language.  Mr.  William 
Leigh  (naval  officer),  of  Martinsburg,  W.  Va. ,  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten in  1887,  says  :  "  The  Hon.  Thomas  Spalding,  of  Georgia, 
was  in  Washington,  D.  C. ,  shortly  after  Napoleon's  downfall. 
There  were  in  the  city  at  that  time  two  French  general  offi- 
cers on  whom  Mr.  Spalding  called,  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing some  inquiries  about  Marshal  Ney.  These  officers  did 
not  like  Marshal  Ney.  One  of  them  used  some  expressions 
about  Ney  which  induced  Mr.  Spalding  to  say,  '  But  Ney 
could  not  speak  a  word  of  English. '  '  Not  speak  English  !  ' 
the  other  replied,  '  why,  he  spoke  it  like  a  native.'  These 
facts  were  related  to  me  several  years  ago  by  Mr.  Spalding 
himself.  Mr.  Spalding  also  called  my  attention  to  the  pecul- 
iar bearing  of  Count  Ney,  who  had  not  long  before  made  a 
visit  of  some  duration  to  this  country."  *  Peter  S.  Ney  was 
a  highly  educated  man.  He  was  a  superior  mathematician,  a 
fine  classical  scholar,  well  informed  on  all  subjects  of  general 
interest,  and  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  French,  Ger- 
man, and  perhaps  other  languages.  Peter  S.  Ney  said  that 
M'hen  he  came  to  the  United  States  he  had  a  good  though  not 
a  classical  education  ;  that,  during  his  first  three  years  and  a 
half  stay  in  this  country,  while  he  remained  in  seclusion,  he 
prepared  himseK  for  teaching  by  studying  the  classics  and  the 
higher  mathematics.  In  that  length  of  time  a  man  of  Ney's 
parts  could  have  completed  the  usual  college  course.  And  he 
was  at  all  times  a  diligent  student.  The  idea  generally  ob- 
tains, even  among  educated  peopfe,  that  Marshal  Ney  was  an 

*  Vide  SoutJiern  Literary  Messenger,  1847  ;  Southern  Qxiarterly  Review, 
1853  ;  "  Plistory  of  Cecil  County,  Md.,"  by  George  Johnston,  LL.D. 


286  SUMMARY. 

ignorant  man  who  could  scarcely  read  or  write  his  name.  But 
nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  truth.  Pie  was  much  bet- 
ter educated  than  most  of  Napoleon's  marshals.  He  wrote  a 
book  on  the  Art  of  War,  which  is  universally  acknowledged 
to  be  a  work  of  transcendent  merit.  In  1802  JSTapoleon  ap- 
pointed Key  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  republic  of 
Switzerland.  Of  course  he  would  not  have  appointed  an  illit- 
erate man  to  so  important  and  responsible  a  position  as  that. 
And,  as  shown  elsewhere  (see  biography),  Ney  proved  himself 
to  be  as  great  a  diplomatist  as  he  was  a  warrior.  1  have  sev- 
eral letters  and  reports  of  Marshal  Ney  written  entirely  by 
himself,  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  as  to  correctness, 
force,  and  even  elegance  of  composition,  they  will  compare 
favorably  with  similar  papers  written  by  Wellington  or  Napo- 
leon. Indeed,  Key's  style  is  much  less  stilted  and  poetical 
than  that  of  Napoleon.  It  is  conspicuousl}'-  clear,  concise,  and 
forcible,  especially  when  he  wrote  upon  military  subjects.  So 
was  Peter  S.  Ney's  style. 

But,  it  is  asked,  if  Peter  S.  Ney  were  Marshal  Ney,  why 
did  he  adopt  the  name  of  Peter  Stuart  Ney  ?  The  French 
soldiers  called  Marshal  Ney  ' '  Peter  the  Red. ' '  It  was  their 
pet  name  for  him.  "  Courage,  the  Red  Lion  is  coming  ;  all 
will  soon  be  right,  for  Peter  the  Red  is  coming"  ("  Memoirs"). 
This  name,  therefore,  must  have  had  for  Key  the  most  de- 
lightful, the  most  tender,  even  the  most  sacred  associations. 
As  to  his  middle  name,  P.  S.  Key  said  (according  to  some 
witnesses)  that  the  maiden  name  of  his  mother  was  Stuart, 
and  that  he  chose  Stuart  on  that  account.  According  to  other 
witnesses  he  chose  tliis  name  because  his  mother  was  related 
to  or  in  some  way  closely  connected  wnth  a  family  of  Stuarts. 
But  Ney — why  did  he  adopt  that  name — a  name  of  world- 
wide fame,  and  therefore  almost  certain  to  create  suspicion  and 
to  lead  to  discovery — a  name  which  no  one  would  expect  him 
to  take  ?  He  took  it  in  all  probability  simply  because  it  was 
famous  throughout  the  world  ;  because  no  human  being  would 
expect  him  to  take  it.  It  was  his  greatest  protection,  his  best 
foil  against  suspicion  or  recognition.  It  was  in  keeping  with 
Key's    bold,   daring,   shrewd,    practical    character.     Besides,^ 


SUMMARY.  287 

there  was  magic  in  the  name.  Ney  !  It  awoke  a  thousand 
precious,  hallowed  memories.  It  thrilled  one  through  and 
through  like  an  electric  shock.  It  was  the  synonym  of  brav- 
ery, and  heroism,  and  immortahty.  Ney  could  not  give  up 
that  name.     It  was  his  life,  his  glory,  his  all. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  persons  that  if  P.  S.  Ney  were  the 
marshal  he  could  have  returned  to  France  when  a  general 
amnesty  was  granted  by  the  Bourbon  government.  It  is  true 
that  most  of  the  exiled  officers — Grouchy,  Lallemand,  Yan- 
damme,  Kellermann,  etc. — returned  to  France  when  this  gen- 
eral amnesty  was  granted  ;  but  if  Marshal  Ney  were  alive  the 
amnesty  could  not  possibly  apply  to  him,  because  Marshal 
Key,  legally  and  formally,  was  a  dead  man — not  an  exiled 
officer — and  therefore  no  amnesty  was  intended  to  apply  to 
him.  Indeed,  the  amnesty  was  granted  simply  because  Mar- 
shal Ney  was,  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  a  dead  man.  He  was  the 
one  victim  that  had  to  be  oJEfered  to  appease  the  Bourbon 
wrath  and  hate.  If  he  had  returned  at  any  time  prior  to  1848 
he  would  have  been  given  over  to  public  vengeance,  and  every 
Frenchman  who  aided  in  his  escape  would  have  been  shot  or 
hanged.  Besides,  P.  S.  Ney  said  that  he  could  not  return  to 
France  unless  Wellington  gave  him  permission  to  do  so. 
Certainly  he  was  most  anxious  to  go  back  to  his  home  and 
country.  The  evidence  undoubtedly  proves  this.  For  some 
years  after  the  Revolution  of  1830,  Dupin,  of  counsel  for  Ney, 
General  Excelmans,  Armand  Carrel,  Odilon  Barrot,  and  others 
labored  most  faithfully  to  procure  from  the  Chamber  of  Peers 
a  reversal  of  the  sentence  of  death  against  Marshal  Ney,  but 
they  were  unsuccessful.  The  Peers  were  frightened  and  re- 
fused to  reverse  the  sentence.  They  were  afraid  of  another 
revolution.  Had  the  sentence  been  reversed  P.  S.  Ney  of 
course  could  have  returned  to  France.  Marshal  Ney's  pres- 
ence in  France  at  any  time  after  1831  would  in  all  probability 
have  been  the  signal  for  an  uprising  of  the  people  against  the 
government  of  Louis  Philippe.  In  May,  1835,  soon  after 
Dupin  and  his  friends  appeared  to  have  lost  all  hope  of  ob- 
taining a  reversal  of  the  sentence  against  Ney,  Peter  S.  Ney 
wrote  in  Mrs.  Dalton's  album  that  remarkable  poem  entitled, 


288  SUMMARY. 

"  Gone,  with  their  glories,  gone  !"  a  poem  which,  as  1  shall 
show,  alone  proves  that  Peter  S.  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney. 

I  have  found  but  one  serious  difficulty  in  the  entire  investi- 
gation. History  states  that  the  Christian  name  of  Marshal 
Ney's  mother  was  Marguerite  or  Margaretiia.  P.  S.  Ney  said 
the  Christian  name  of  his  mother  was  Catharine  Isabella  (see 
testimony  of  Mrs.  Hughes,  General  Hill,  Mrs.  Hill,  Mrs. 
Irwin).  In  1891  I  visited  Saar-Louis,  Lorraine,  the  historic 
birthplace  of  Marshal  Ney,  I  examined  the  official  "  Eegis- 
ter  of  Marriages,  Births,  and  Deaths."  I  quote  from  it  as 
follows  : 

"  Michel  Ney,  son  of  Peter  Ney  and  Margaretha  Graffin, 
was  born  at  Saar-Louis  on  the  10th  day  of  January,  1769. 
The  parents  were  married  on  the  13th  day  of  January,  1767  ; 
the  same  are  registered  in  the  marriage  contract  as  Peter  Neu, 
twenty-nine  years  of  age,  son  of  Matthias  Neu  and  Margaretha 
Becker,  of  Ensdorf  District.  Saar-Louis,  and  Margaretha 
Groewelinger,  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  daughter  of  Valen- 
tin Groewelinger  and  Margaretha  Denis,  of  Bidingen,  diocese 
of  Trier." 

In  the  marriage  contract  Ney's  mother  signed  her  name 
Margaretha  GreUmger.  On  Bier  Street  stands  a  small,  plain 
house,  in  which,  it  is  said,  Marshal  Ney  was  born.  Over  the 
front  door  is  a  small  marble  or  slate  panel  with  this  inscrip- 
tion :  "Here  was  born  Marshal  Ney."  In  this  village  I 
found  two  distinct  families  of  the  name  of  Ney,  but  in  no  way 
related  to  each  other.  Each  family,  however,  claimed  to  be- 
long to  that  from  which  Marshal  Ney  descended.  Mrs. 
Schafer,  wife  of  Professor  Schafer,  of  Saar-Louis,  belongs  to 
what  I  may  call  the  unhistoric  family.  She  said  she  was  re- 
lated to  Marshal  Ney,  and  that  the  name  of  his  father  was  not 
Peter,  but  Nicholas,  and  the  name  of  his  grandfather  was 
Anton,  and  not  Matthias.  I  then  asked  her  what  M'as  the 
Christian  name  of  Marshal  Ney's  mother.  She  answered 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  "  Catharine.''''  Her  family, 
she  said,  originally  came  from  Wachendorf,  Wiirtemberg.  I 
went  to  Wachendorf.  1  there  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Baron  and  Baroness  of  Ow.     They  received  me  with  charm- 


SUMMARY.  289 

ing  courtesy,  and  gave  me  some  valuable  information  respect- 
ing the  unliistoric  Ney  family.  The  baron  said  that  his  father, 
Baron  John  Charles,  had  fully  investigated  the  claims  of  the 
two  families,  and  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  Marshal  Ney 
was  descended  from  the  Wachendorf — Anton  Ney — family. 
The  opinion  of  Baron  John  Charles  is  entitled  to  great  weight, 
for  I  learned  from  high  authority  that  he  was  a  man  of  excel- 
lent judgment  and  a  most  careful,  painstaking,  and  conscien- 
tious investigator.  Above  the  front  door  of  the  old  house  in 
which  Anton  Ney  lived  is  a  tablet  with  this  inscription  : 
"  Original  Mansion  of  Marshal  ISTey's  Family"  (or  "  Ances- 
tors"). 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Schliter,  of  Wachendorf  {nee  Ney),  belongs 
to  the  Anton  Ney  family.  She  said  :  "  Our  family  is  very 
old.  My  ancestors  settled  here  many  years  ago,  though  sev- 
eral of  them  have  since  emigrated  to  other  places  in  Europe. 
The  family  name  has  always  been  spelled  Ney — witli  the  two 
dots  above  it.  There  are  several  families  of  tlie  name  of  Neu, 
both  in  Germany  and  France,  but  this  name  is  entirely  differ- 
ent from  that  of  Ney.  I  have  often  heard  my  father  speak 
of  Marshal  Ney  as  one  of  his  relatives.  Marshal  Ney's  father 
was  named  Nicholas,  and  he  emigrated  to  France  about  the 
year  1760." 

Pastor  Knittel,  of  "Wachendorf,  says  :  "  It  has  always  been 
believed  here  that  Marshal  Ney's  family  originally  lived  in 
"Wachendorf  ;  that  his  grandfather  was  named  Anton  and  his 
father  Nicholas." 

In  the  "  Official  Paper  for  Wiirtemberg, "  published  at 
Stuttgart,  bearing  date  of  April  1st,  1866,  I  find  the  follow- 
ing :  "  It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  the  famous  French  Mar- 
shal Ney,  the  '  bravest  of  the  brave,'  descends  from  Swabia, 
and  that  his  family  continues  to  live  at  Wachendorf,  where  it 
■was  settled  some  centuries  since.  The  grandfather  of  tlie 
marshal  was  Anton  Ney,  and  he  reared  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren at  Wachendorf.  His  son  Nicholas  emigrated  to  France 
and  settled  in  Saar-Louis,*  where  he  followed  the  calling  of  a 

*  There  was  a  Saar-Loiiis  in  Alsace. 


290  SUMMARY. 

cooper.  He  married  a  French  girl,  and  ironi  that  marriage 
sprang  Marshal  Michael  Ney." 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  the  "  Official  Paper  of 
Ravensburg  for  1825,"  to  wit  :  ''  The  grandfather  of  Marshal 
Ney  is  Anton  Ney,  born  May  24th,  1699,  who  married,  at 
first,  Anna  Faiss,  November  25tli,  1725.  There  were  five 
sons.  The  first,  John,  born  October  2(3,  1728,  removed  to 
Alsace.  The  second,  Joseph,  took  possession  of  the  honse- 
hold  and  paid  to  each  brother  forty  florins.  The  third,  Fidelis, 
removed  to  Hungary.  The  fourth,  named  JSTicholas,  removed 
to  Alsace.  Nicholas  was  born  October  27th,  1738,  and  is 
recognized  all  over  this  country  as  the  father  of  the  French 
Marshal  Ney." 

A  genealogical  table  of  the  Ney  (Wachendorf)  family  was 
prepared  by  Pastor  Bok.  The  facts  were  chiefly  taken  from 
the  official  records  of  the  town  of  Wachendorf.  From  this 
table  (kindly  furnished  me  by  the  Roman  Catholic  priest  of 
Wachendorf)  I  extract  the  genealogical  record  of  the  Ney  fam- 
ily found  on  the  following  page. 

Let  us  go  back  to  the  historic  Matthias  Ney  family.  In 
the  "  Official  Register  of  Marriages,  Births,  and  Deaths"  at 
Saar-Louis  we  find  that  Marshal  Ney's  father  was  Peter  iVc'w, 
not  Ney  ;  that  his  grandfather  was  Matthias  iVe-w,*  not  Ney  ; 
and  that  his  mother  had  three  different  names.  Now,  here  is 
a  regnlsir  olla  j)od/'ida  :  Michel  Ney,  Peter  Neu,  Peter  Ney, 
Matthias  Neu,  Margaretha  Graffin,  Margaretha  Groewelinger, 
Margaretha  Greblinger  !  1  asked  the  polite  registrar  to  ex- 
plain the  matter.  He  shook  his  head.  "  It's  very  strange," 
said  he,  "  but  1  can't  explain  it."  f 

I  had  written  thus  far  when  I  received  the  following  letter 
from  the  Mayor  of  Friedrichshafen,  Wiirtemberg  : 

Friedrichshafen,  WiJRTEMBERG,  February  19,  1895. 
Worthy  Sir  :  The  official  records  here  show  that  Nicholas 
Ney  married  Catharine  Rossman,  of  Buchhorn.     The  grand- 

*  Neu  and  Ney,  it  must  be  remembered,  are  entirely  different  names. 
When  was  Neu  converted  into  Ney,  and  for  what  reason  ? 

f  In  writing  the  biography  of  Ney  I  simply  followed  the  accepted  Jiis- 
torical  accounts  as  to  his  birth,  parentage,  etc. 


SUMMABT.  291 

GENEALOGY    OF    THE    NEY    FAMILY, 

Wachendorf,   Wurtembero. 
Carolus  Ney Catharina  Riestkr. 


Anton  Net. 


Peter  Ney. 


Michael  Net. 


.Anton  Ney 

{ne  May  24,  1699). 


Nicholas  Ney 

(ne  Oct.  27,  1738). 


Michael  (Marshal)  Ney 
(ne  Jan'y  10,  17G9). 


292  SUMMARY. 

father  of  Catharine  Rossraan  was  Michael  Rothmund.  His 
daughter,  Anna  Maria  Rothmund,  married  a  Rossman  in 
France.  From  that  marriage  sprang  Catharine  Rossman. 
Catharine  Rossman  married  Nicholas  Ney,  a  cooper  at  Saar- 
Louis.     They  had  two  children  : 

1.  Michael,  Field  Marshal  of  France,  Duke  of  Elchingen, 

Prince  of  the  Moskowa.    ■ 

2.  Margaretha,  who  married  Claude  Monnier. 

Francisca  Rothmund  died  at  Markdorf  in  1798,  and  left  a  leg- 
acy of  two  hundred  florins  to  her  niece,  Catharine  Ney,  nee 
Rossman,  mother  of  the  French  Marshal  Ney.  The  legacy 
remained  unpaid  for  many  years,  and  was  finally  paid  to  two 
poor  relatives  of  Catharine  Ney,  nee  Rossman,  who  were  then 
living  at  Friedrichshafen.  I  enclose  copies  of  two  official 
documents  which  may  be  of  service  to  you  : 

Transcript. 

"  I,  the  undersigned,  Aglae  Louise  Auguie,  widow  of  Mon- 
sieur Michel  Ney,  Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  Duke  of  Elchingen, 
declare  by  these  presents,  in  the  name  of  my  sons,  Napoleon 
Joseph  Ney,  Prince  de  la  Moskowa  ;  Louis  Felix  Ney,  Duke 
of  Elchingen  ;  Eugene  Michel  Ney,  and  Napoleon  Henri 
Edgar  Ney,  that  I  renounce  in  favor  of  the  natural  heirs  of 
Madame  Francisca  Rothmund,  deceased  in  1798,  at  Mark- 
dorf, grand  baillage  de  Tettnang,  Roya,ume  de  Wiirtemberg, 
that  part  which  comes  to  my  sons  of  a  sum  of  two  hundred 
florins  bequeathed  by  the  Dame  Francisca  Rothmund  to  her 
niece,  Madame  Catharine  Ney,  nee  Rossman,  mother  of  the 
late  Monsieur  le  Marechal,  Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  Due 
d'Elchingen.  Done  at  the  Chateau  of  Coudreaux,  near  Cha- 
teaudun.  Department  of  Eure  and  Loire,  the  15th  day  of 
June,  1823. 

"  (Signed.)  A,  L.  Auguie, 

"  Princess  de  la  Moskowa. 

"  Attest :  Lean  Foucault,  Maire.''^ 

Transcript. 
"  I,  the  undersigned,  Marguerite  Ney,  widow  of  Monsieur 


SUMMARY.  293 

Claude  Monnier,  declare  by  these  presents  that  I  renounce  in 
favor  of  the  natural  heirs  of  Madame  Francisca  Rothmund, 
deceased  in  1798,  at  Markdorf,  grand  baillage  de  Tettnang, 
Royaume  de  Wiirtemberg,  that  part  wliich  falls  to  my  share 
of  a  sum  of  two  hundred  (200)  florins,  bequeathed  by  said 
Dame  Francisca  Rothmund  to  her  niece,  Madame  Catharine 
Is'ey,  nee  Rossman,  my  mother. 

"  Done  at  Malgrange,  near  Nancy,  the  29th  day  of  June, 
1S24. 

"  (Signed.)  Veuve  Monniek. 

"  Attest  :  Jean  Joseph  Abbt,  Maire.^^ 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

Schmidt,  Mayor  of  Friedrichshafen. 

According  to  the  statements  of  the  historic  Matthias  IS'ey 
family,  Margaret  Ney  was  the  sister  of  Marshal  Ney,  and 
married  Monsieur  Claude  Monnier. 

These  documents  then  prove,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt, 
that  Marshal  Ney's  mother  was  Catharine  Rossman,  not  Mar- 
garetha  Graffin,  or  Margaretha  Groewelinger,  or  Margaretha 
Greblinger. 

The  documentary  evidence  is  very  strong — I  may  say  con- 
clusive. It  cannot  be  overthrown.  It  greatly  strengthens 
the  testimony  of  the  witnesses.  Indeed,  it  makes  it  substan- 
tially unassailable  from  any  standpoint  whatever.  The  hand- 
writing of  P.  S.  Ney  is  remarkably  like  that  of  Marshal  Ney, 
yet  altogether  unlike  it  in  the  sense  of  servile  imitation.  I  care 
little  for  expert  opinion  as  to  the  value  of  comparative  hand- 
writings. The  authorship  of  the  Junian  letters,  says  a  high 
authority,  has  been  "  attributed  by  professional  experts  to 
thirty-seven  persons."  *  There  is  an  expression,  an  individu- 
ality, a  life  about  handwriting  that  cannot  be  explained  or  de- 

*  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  Burke  was  Junius.  Sir  Philip 
Francis  could  not  have  written  the  Junian  letters.  Macaulay's  argument 
is  as  weak  as  water.  Contemporary  opinion  ascribed  the  authorship  to 
Burke,  and  "contemporary  opinion,"  says  Burke's  biographer,  "as 
formed  from  a  variety  of  minor  circumstances,  which  do  not  come  within 
the  knowledge  of  future  inquirers,  is  perhaps  on  such  occasions  the 
truest."  Contemporary  opinion  pointed  strongly  to  P.  8.  Ney  as  Marshal 
Ney. 


294  SUMMARY. 

scribed.  The  handwriting  of  every  man  or  woman  is  of 
necessity  informed  or  saturated  with  the  writer's  own  person- 
ality, and  cannot  be  recognized  by  strokes,  turns,  curves, 
angles,  flourishes,  etc.  In  all  such  matters  every  one  must 
judge  for  one's  self.  Professional  opinion  is  not  seldom  of 
far  less  value  than  non- professional.  The  skull  and  chin  of 
P.  S.  Ney,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge  by  the  illustrations, 
were  precisely  like  those  of  Marshal  Ney.  The  statement  of 
Colonel  Melody  as  a  Mason  is  very  significant.  It  is  sufii- 
cient  to  say  that  its  importance  cannot  be  overestimated.  The 
testimony  of  Mr.  R.  A.  Henderson  is  of  the  highest  value. 
Of  no  less  importance  is  the  fact,  attested  by  several  witnesses, 
that  P.  S.  Ney  was  recognized  as  Marshal  Ney  by  persons  of 
reputable  character  who  had  known  him  or  seen  him  in  France 
or  other  portions  of  Europe.  The  most  valuable  witness  is 
Peter  S.  Ney  himself.  By  all  the  rules  of  evidence  his  state- 
ments, oral  and  written,  are  entitled  to  the  highest  credibility. 
The  testimony  of  the  witnesses  without  exception  (to  say 
nothing  of  the  circumstantial  evidence)  is  that  P.  S.  Ney's 
mind  was  sound,  clear,  and  strong,  and  that  his  character  was 
pure,  honest,  and  upright.  There  could  be  no  more  capable, 
competent,  truthful  witness.  Peter  S.  Ney,  when  perfectly 
sober,  said  to  a  few  confidential  bosom  friends  that  he  was 
Marshal  Ney.  When  in  wine — intoxicated  or  entre  deux  vins 
— he  often  publicly  declared  he  was  Marshal  Ney.  Such 
declarations  must  have  much  weight  with  thinking  people. 
Men  under  the  influence  of  intoxicants  have  no  delusions. 
They  are  imprudent  and  indiscreet,  but  they  tell  the  truth. 
One's  real  character  comes  out  when  one  is  intoxicated  or  par- 
tially intoxicated.  "  In  wine  is  truth."  This  old  saying 
comes  down  to  us  strengthened  and  fortified  by  the  universal 
observation  and  experience  of  mankind.  The  poem  which 
P.  S.  Ney  wrote  in  Mrs.  Dalton's  album,  and  afterward  in 
Miss  Allison's  album,  alone  proves  (as  I  have  stated)  that  he 
was  Marshal  Ney.     Take  the  first  stanza  : 

"  Though  I  of  the  chosen  the  choicest, 
To  fame  gave  her  loftiest  tone, 
Though  I  'mong  the  brave  was  the  bravest, 
My  plume  and  mv  baton  are  gone. ' ' 


aUMMART.  295 

Marshal  Ney  ^vas  called  the  bravest  of  the  brave— a  name 
given  him  by  Napoleon  himself,  and  by  which  he  was  univer- 
sally known.  A  marshal  only  was  entitled  to  the  baton.  The 
last  two  lines  prove  conclusively  that  P.  S.  Ney  was  Marshal 
Ney.  Again,  in  his  poem  entitled  "  A  Rover,"  we  find  evi- 
dence of  the  same  character  : 

"  High  on  the  pyramid  of  fame, 
The  bravest  of  the  brave,  my  name 
Shall  shine  .  .  .  ." 

But  the  strongest  evidence  (with  the  single  exception,  per- 
haps, of  P.  S.  Ney's  dying  declaration)  is  to  be  found  in  the 
"  Memoirs  of  Napoleon"  referred  to  in  the  documentary  evi- 
dence. On  page  315  the  author  says,  "  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  delay  of  Marshal  Ney  he  might  have  secured  this  posi- 
tion," etc.  P.  S.  Ney  replies  :  "  Delay  !  Say  the  emperor 
took  away  my  reserve  /"  The  itahcized  words  are  written  in 
shorthand.  On  page  316  we  read  in  the  text  :  "  He  [Ney] 
was  joined  by  Count  d'Erlon  with  the  corps  of  reserve," 
P.  S.  Ney  says,  "  Count  d'Erlon*  was  called  away  (or  oflf) 
})y  Napoleon^  who  crippled  my  movement, ' '  The  italicized 
words  are  written  in  shorthand.     P.  S,  Ney's  dying  declara- 

*  It  is  well  known  that  Ney's  reserve  of  twenty  thousand  men,  com- 
manded by  Count  D'Erlon,  was  called  off  by  Napoleon.  If  Ney  had  had 
D'Erlon 's  troops  at  Quatre  Bras  he  would  have  defeated  Wellington. 
Napoleon  gained  a  barren  victory  at  Ligny.  The  Prussians  fought  well, 
and  if  they  had  been  commanded  by  a  first-class  general  Napoleon  would 
have  been  defeated.  Even  Blilcher  would  have  been  victorious  if  Biilow 
had  been  present,  as  he  ought  to  have  been,  and  would  have  been  but  for 
an  inexcusable  and  criminal  blunder.  Napoleon  owed  most  of  his  great 
victories  to  the  fact  that  the  opposing  armies  were  commanded  by  third- 
rate  generals.  Suppose  a  man  like  Wellington  had  been  in  command  of 
the  enemy's  forces  at  Areola,  at  Marengo,  at  Ulm,  at  Jena,  at  Eylau,  at 
Essling,  at  Borodino,  at  Dresden,  at  Ligny  ;  every  fair-minded  man  must 
admit  that  Napoleon  would  have  been  badly  whipped.  It  is  high  time  to 
assign  Napoleon  his  proper  place  in  military  history.  Napoleon  himself 
acknowledged  that  Wellington  was  a  better  general  than  he  was.  To 
General  Bertrand  he  said,  "  The  Duke  of  Wellington,  in  the  management 
of  an  army,  is  fully  equal  to  myself,  with  the  advantage  of  possessing 
more  prudence."  To  Captain  Paget,  of  the  English  army.  Napoleon  said, 
"  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  Wellington  is  a  better  general  than 
myself." 


296  SUMMARY. 

tion  is  confessedly  of  the  highest  possible  value.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  death,  with  an  unclouded  mind,  with  a  full  sense  of 
the  responsibility  which  he  assumed,  he  solemnly  declared  to 
his  attending  physician  and  others  that  he  was  Marshal  Ney 
of  France. 

To  me  the  fame  of  Marshal  Ney  is  very  dear — it  is  sacred. 
If  Peter  S.  Ney  had  lived  a  bad,  a  dishonorable  life  in  this 
country  I  would  not  have  touched  the  investigation.  I  would 
have  left  the  "  bravest  of  the  brave"  "  alone  in  his  glory." 
But  if  P.  S.  Ney  was  Marshal  Ney,  as  I  firmly  believe  he  was, 
then  his  career  in  the  United  States  reflects  as  much  credit 
upon  him  as  his  management  of  the  rear  guard  in  the  Russian 
retreat.  The  great  soldier  wished  to  redeem  his  life,  and  he 
did  redeem  it  gloriously.  If  possible,  he  was  greater  in  peace 
than  he  was  in  war. 

A  few  minutes  before  his  death  P.  S.  Ney  became  delirious. 
In  this  condition  he  died.  Mr.  O.  G.  Foard  says  that  his  last 
words,  spoken  in  delirium,  were  these:  "  Bessi^res  is  dead 
and  the  Old  Guard  is  defeated  ;  now  let  me  die."  *  Marshal 
Ney  had  often  led  the  Old  Guard  to  victory,  and  they  had 
gone  down  with  him  on  the  battle-field  of  Waterloo.  Mar- 
shal Bessieres,  the  loved  and  honored  commander  of  the  Old 
Guard,  was  killed  at  the  defile  of  Rippach  in  1813,  the  day 
before  the  battle  of  Lutzen.  Napoleon  and  Ney,  who  was 
much  attached  to  Bessieres,  for  they  were  very  much  alike 
in  character,  were  riding  by  the  side  of  the  marshal  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  A  white  cloth  was  instantly  thrown  over 
his  body  to  conceal  the  knowledge  of  his  death  from  the  army, 
and  from  the  Old  Guard  in  particular.  The  death  of  Bes- 
sieres made  a  deep,  a  profound  impression  upon  N^apoleon, 
Ney,  and  the  entire  army.  The  Old  Guard  loved  Bessieres 
with  the  tenderest,  the  most  devoted  affection.  It  was  natural 
that  N"ey,  in  his  last  moments,  should  link  them  together — 
Bessieres  and  the  Old  Guard.     Like  Stonewall  Jackson, f  de- 

*  Correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald,  Turnersburg,  N.  C, 
1879. 

f  Wellington,  Ney,  Stonewall  Jaekson— soldiers  like  these  can  conquer 
the  world. 


8UMMAEY.  297 

lirions  and  dying  :  ''  A.  P.  Hill  [his  right  arm],  prepare  for 
action."  "  Bessieres  is  dead^  and  the  Old  Guard  is  defeated  ; 
now  let  rae  die."  With  these  words  upon  his  lips  the  war- 
worn soldier  passed  over  the  river. 

Peace. 

Rest. 


APPENDIX  A. 

(See  P.  S.  Ney's  note,  page  229.) 


All  this  is  doubtless  true.  Napoleon  liimself,  according  to  Emerson, 
■was  a  "  boundless  liar,"  and  little  confidence  is  to  be  placed  in  his  state- 
ments about  the  matter.  Besides,  as  P.  S.  Ney  intimates,  Napoleon  had 
special  reasons  for  telling  these  falsehoods — reasons  which  if  not  good 
inforo  conscietitim,  might  be  considered  as  valid  or  venial  by  the  world  at 
large.  That  there  was  a  conspiracy  or  plot  to  bring  Napoleon  back  to 
France  is  now  admitted  by  all  candid  historians.  Indeed,  I  think  it  was 
never  seriously  doubted  at  any  time.  Napoleon  at  Elba  was  in  constant 
communication  with  France.  His  old  soldiers  were  sent  from  Elba  to 
France  to  corrupt  the  army,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  coming. 
These  were  his  vanguard.  Signs  and  watchwords  had  been  agreed  upon 
between  him  and  his  friends  in  France — "  signs,"  says  Lamartine, 
"which  he  alone  could  read,  and  of  which  the  emissaries  who  brought 
them,  under  various  pretexts,  did  not  themselves  know  the  importance  or 
signification."  Three  persons  especially  had  promised  Napoleon  at  Fon- 
tainebleau  to  "  inform  him  of  what  was  going  on  in  France,  and  to  give 
the  signal  for  his  return."  These  were  Maret,  Duke  of  Bassano,  Savary, 
and  Lavalette.  In  the  following  fall  and  winter  the  friends  of  Napoleon 
became  very  bold  and  confident,  and  seemed  almost  openly  to  defy  the 
government  itself.  Full  details  of  the  conspiracy  were  communicated  to 
the  French  Government,  but  it  took  no  notice  of  them.  Bonaparte  cared 
nothing  for  his  abdication.  He  told  General  Kohler  and  others  that  he 
would  revoke  it  in  a  moment  if  he  thought  he  could  succeed  in  regaining 
his  throne.  This  was  some  days  after  the  abdication  had  been  formally 
and  authoritatively  made  and  ratified.  He  said  his  abdication  was /iwc^d!/ 
that  he  was  overwhelmed  by  foreign  mercenaries  and  traitors  ;  that  as  it 
was  extorted  from  him  by  force  and  treason,  it  was  not  binding,  and  he 
had  a  right  to  revoke  it  or  annul  it  at  any  time  for  the  good  of  France. 
The  safety  and  welfare  of  the  State  was  the  supreme  law.  Of  course 
arguments  of  this  kind  might  easily  be  made  to  apply  to  Ney  and  the 
other  officers  who  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Louis  XVIII.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  there  was  a  perfect  understanding  between  Bonaparte, 
Ney,  and  others  that  Bonaparte  was  in  due  time  to  return  from  Elba  as 
the  Emperor  of  France,  whose  reign  had  been  interrupted,  but  not  over- 
thrown and  destroyed.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  as  P.  S.  Ney  says,  that 
*'  the  scheme  of  the  plot  was  formed,"  that  the  "  return  was  preconcerted 
before  Napoleon  quitted  Fontainebleau  for  Elba."  Marshal  Ney  on  his 
trial  said  he  knew  nothing  of  Bonaparte's  return  until  several  days  after 


300  APPENDIX  A. 

his  disembarkation  at  Cannes  ;  that  there  was  no  plot,  no  conspiracy  to 
bring  him  back  from  Elba ;  that  he  (Ney)  was  entirely  loyal  to  Louis 
XVIII.  until  March  14th,  when  he  saw  that  the  king's  cause  was  hope- 
less, and  that  he  then  went  over  to  Napoleon  to  prevent  the  breaking  out 
of  a  civil  war.  But  these  statements  which  Ney  made  on  his  trial  (to  save 
his  life)  are  at  variance  with  those  which  he  made  before  his  trial.  Baron 
Capelle  said  that  Marshal  Ney  told  him  that  the  return  of  Bonaparte  was 
contrived  by  him  (Marshal  Ney),  other  marshals,  the  Minister  of  War 
(Soult),  and  Madame  Hortense.  Generals  Bourmont  and  Lacourbe  said 
Ney  told  them  that  everything  had  been  arranged  for  three  months  for 
Bonaparte's  return,  and  that  if  they  had  been  in  Paris  they  would  have 
known  it.  The  Count  de  la  Genetiere  said  that  after  Ney  had  read  the 
proclamation,  he  said  to  the  pei-sons  around  him,"  The  return  of  Napoleon 
has  been  arranged  for  three  months. ' ' 

Count  de  Faverney  said  that  Marshal  Ney  informed  him  that  measures 
had  been  taken  beforehand  to  render  the  defection  of  the  troops  inevi- 
table. 

Captain  Casse,  of  the  Forty-second  Regiment,  stated  that  Ney  said  to 
him,  "  I  had  no  idea  of  fighting  for  the  king.  Had  he  given  me  twenty 
times  the  value  of  the  Tuileries,  I  would  not  have  served  him.  I  bore  the 
emperor  in  my  heart. ' '  Other  witnesses  stated  that  the  marshal  said  Bona- 
parte's  return  had  been  concerted  a  long  time  ;  that  he  had  been  in  corre- 
spondence with  the  isle  of  Elba,  and  knew  of  Napoleon's  intended  depar- 
ture, etc. 

Now  it  is  impossible  to  doubt  the  truth  of  these  statements,  considering 
the  character  of  the  persons  who  made  them,  and  considering  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case.  Marshal  Ney,  on  his  trial,  solemnly  de- 
clared they  were  false  in  order  to  save  his  life.  That  is  the  simple  truth 
of  the  matter.  But  it  may  be  said  that  I  am  dragging  down  my  hero,  that 
I  make  his  treason  greater  than  it  was  before.  So  be  it.  Let  us  have  the 
truth.  Ney's  character  is  so  solid,  so  grand  that  it  will  bear  a  great  many 
flaws.  After  all,  the  flaws  may  not  be  so  great  as  they  appear  to  be. 
Marshal  Ney  was  the  truest  of  patriots.  He  loved  his  country  with  a  de- 
votion which  has  never  been  surpassed,  perhaps  never  equalled.  His 
whole  life  was  bound  up  in  his  country's  welfare.  Even  amid  the  horrors 
of  the  Russian  retreat  he  thought  only  of  the  honor  and  glory  of  France. 
His  love  of  France  dominated  every  other  feeling,  and  seemed  to  elevate 
his  character  above  human  environments,  to  make  him  indeed  almost  more 
than  man.  "Everything  for  France."  That  was  Ney's  motto,  Ney's 
creed,  Ney's  religion.     He  could  say,  as  no  other  man  perhaps  could  say, 

"  I  know  my  country,  for  her  soul  is  mine.'' 

So  when  Napoleon  abdicated  at  Fontainebleau,  Ney  very  readily  entered 
into  his  plans.  He  felt  that  the  Bourbon  rule  would  be  utterly  ruinous  to 
his  country,  that  Napoleon  was  the  rightful  ruler  of  France,  that  the  people 
had  solemnly  repudiated  the  Bourbons  and  had  chosen  Napoleon  as  their 
lawful  sovereign,  and  that  the  "  voice  of  the  people  was  the  voice  of  God." 


APPENDIX  A.  301 

Napoleon,  though  in  chains,  was  still  the  Emperor  of  France,  and  Ney  be- 
lieved it  was  his  highest  duty  to  aid  in  restoring  him  to  that  throne  to  which 
the  people  had  elevated  him,  and  from  which  he  had  been  treasonably  and 
unlawfully  expelled.  He  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Bour- 
bon Government  because  the  good  of  his  country  for  the  time  being 
seemed  to  demand  it.  He  would  be  loyal  to  the  king  so  long  only  as  the 
king  was  loyal  to  France.  Fidelity  to  France  was  the  only  fidelity  he 
acknowledged.  Such  was  Ney's  position.  Patriotism  was,  as  1  have 
said,  his  master  passion  ;  it  swallowed  up  every  other  feeling,  every  other 
thought.  Ney  was  a  child  of  the  Revolution,  impulsive,  trained  in  camps, 
little  accustomed  to  reason  on  abstract  principles  of  right  and  wrong  ; 
and,  above  all,  he  was  under  the  influence  of  Napoleon,  his  master,  almost 
his  god,  who  had  taught  him  that  any  crime,  however  great,  is  justifiable 
in  the  interest  of  the  State,  for  the  good  of  one's  people  and  country.  I 
cannot  say  Ney  was  right.  I  believe  he  was  wrong  ;  but  no  one  can  ques- 
tion the  purity  and  sincerity  of  his  motives.  He  was  honest  ;  there  was 
no  treason  in  his  heart.  We  can  but  admire  and  commend  his  conscien- 
tious devotion  to  duty  as  he  understood  it.  He  erred,  like  Wellington, 
but  it  was  an  error  of  the  head,  and  not  of  the  heart.  He  was  not  so  bad 
as  the  great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  who,  while  professing  unlimited  loy- 
alty to  his  sovereign,  corresponded  regularly  with  the  Pretender,  and  acted 
grossly  a  double  part.  In  war  and  in  times  of  high  political  excitement 
many  persons  of  good  reputation  will  commit  gross  oflences  against 
morality  and  honor  for  the  "  good  of  their  country,"  which  they  would 
not  think  of  committing  as  private  individuals.  Even  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington half-waj^  justifies  Talleyrand's  treachery  at  the  Congress  at  Erfurt, 
when,  as  Napoleon's  confidential  adviser  and  minister,  he  went  secretly 
every  evening  to  the  house  of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  and  gave  him  a 
full  and  detailed  account  of  everything  that  Napoleon  had  said  to  him 
(Talleyrand)  during  the  day.  It  was  the  grossest  kind  of  treason,  without 
any  mitigating  circumstances  whatever,  and  yet  Wellington  calls  it  a  sort 
of  treachery,  as  not  exactly  justifiable,  but  somewhat  excusable  under  the 
circumstances.  Wellington  also  said  that  many  men,  and  respectable 
ones,  in  employment  under  Napoleon  had  been  in  constant  communication 
with  the  Duke  of  Orleans.     (See  "  Greville  Memoirs.") 

Sir  Walter  Scott  states  that  if  the  Pretender  had  succeeded  in  his  designs 
on  England,  many  Englishmen  of  character  and  influence  would  have 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him  with  the  deliberate  intention  ultimately 
to  dethrone  and  destroy  him.  Judge  Gaston,  of  North  Carolina,  in  1832 
argued  himself  into  the  belief  (honestly,  I  doubt  not)  that  he  had  a  perfect 
right  to  do  that  which  the  Constitution  of  North  Carolina  expressly  for- 
bade him  to  do.  I  once  mentioned  this  subject  to  Judge  Ruffln  the 
younger,  the  ablest  lawyer,  in  my  opinion,  the  State  has  ever  produced — 
not  even  excepting  Chief  Justice  Pearson.  I  said  to  Judge  Ruflln,  "  Judge 
Gaston's  argument  seems  to  me  to  be  unworthy  of  so  great  a  man.  It  is 
the  veriest  hair-splitting.  How  could  Judge  Gaston  say  that  he  believed 
all  that  Protestants  believe,  when  the  very  life  blood  of  Protestantism  is  its 


302  APPENDIX  A. 

opposition  to  very  much  of  Roman  Catholic  faith  and  Roman  Catholic 
teaching  ?  That  is  an  essential  part  of  the  truth  of  the  Protestant  religion. 
Roman  Catholics  deny  that  Protestants  teach  the  truth.  How,  then,  could 
Judge  Gaston,  as  a  Roman  CathoHc,  say  that  he  believed  all  that  Protes- 
tants believe  ?"  Judge  Ruffln's  face  was  a  study.  He  straightened  him- 
self up  and  looked  off  in  the  distance  for  a  few  moments.  Then  he  turned 
to  me  and  said,  with  an  emphasis  which  no  one  could  mistake,  "  Well,  he 
said  it  anyhow." 

Some  of  the  greatest  reformers  in  this  country — men  occupying  the  high- 
est positions  in  Church  and  State — openly  countenance  the  most  flagrant 
violations  both  of  the  laws  of  God  and  man  because  of  the  probable  good 
that  may  result  from  such  immoralities  and  crimes.  I  cannot  excuse  Ney, 
but  I  have  put  him  in  very  respectable  company.  After  all,  it  is  the  only 
dark  spot  in  his  whole  career.  What  a  grand  testimony  to  the  greatness 
of  the  man  !    We  cannot  excuse  him,  but  we  love  him  and  we  honor  him. 


APPENDIX  B. 

p.  S.  NEY'S  SHORTHAND  ALPHABET. 


a,  e 

-) 

an,  any,  one. 

b 

c 

be,  by,  because. 

d 

/ 

do,  due,  done. 

f,v 

.0 — 

if,  ofE,  of,  often. 

g.  i 

0 

go,  gone,  joy,  again. 

h 

; 

he,  have,  high. 

i 

.»' 

I,  eye,  idea. 

k,  c  hard 

can,  know,  known. 

1 

all,  the  whole. 

m 

r\ 

me,  my,  may. 

u 

(y 

in,  on,  no. 

0,  u 

Cc 

0  !  owe,  owing. 

P 

^ 

People,  persons. 

qu 

question,  quality. 

r 

are,  or,  our,  ear,  air. 

s,  z,  c  soft 

- — 

say,  see,  as,  so,  us,  use. 

t 

/ 

it,  at,  to,  too. 

w 

<r> 

we,  with,  way. 

X 

t 

example,  except. 

y 

</ 

ye,  you,  your,  yea. 

ch 

<  ^ 

such,  each. 

sh 

c — 

she,  shall,  show. 

th 

f 

the,  thee,  they. 

M^h 

O 

who,  which. 

304 


APPENDIX  B. 
The  world  Q 


And 

Mute  letters  and 

medial  vowels 

omitted. 


0 


A  dot  ( • )  over 

any  character 

means  em,  im,  in, 

etc. 


Many  characters 
are  omitted. 


Thus 


emperor 


impose 


etc. 


APPENDIX  C. 


Mrs.  Mary  C.  Dalton,  in  her  testimony  (see  page  154),  says  :  "  One  day, 
about  dark,  a  stranger  rode  up  to  our  gate  and  asked  father  if  he  could 
stop  with  him  that  night.  We  had  a  good  deal  of  company  at  the  time, 
and  every  room  was  occupied.  My  father  told  him  that  he  was  sorry  he 
could  not  accommodate  him  ;  but  the  young  man  insisted,  and  said  he 
was  willing  to  sleep  on  the  floor,  and  that  his  horse  being  tired  and  com- 
pletely worn  out,  he  could  go  no  farther.  My  father  then  told  him  that 
if  he  could  suit  himself  to  circumstances  he  would  be  glad  to  have  him 
remain.  The  stranger,  a  fine-looking  man,  thanked  him  and  went  in. 
When  he  was  conducted  in  to  supper  he  took  a  seat  at  the  table  opposite 
Mr.  Ney,  who  was  occupying  his  usual  seat  on  the  left  hand  of  my  father. 
They  glanced  at  each  other,  and  though  not  a  word  was  spoken  it  was 
evident  to  all  present  that  it  was  a  glance  of  recognition.  My  mother  said 
a  sign  passed  between  them.  Immediately  after  tea  Mr.  Ney  and  the 
stranger,  taking  their  hats,  left  the  house  together,  and  were  not  seen  by 
the  family  any  more  that  night.  An  old  negro  man  (Frederick)  reported 
that  he  saw  them  near  midnight  sitting  behind  a  straw  stack  in  the  field 
in  close  conversation,  and,  although  unobserved  by  them,  could  hear  them 
distinctly,  but  could  not  understand  a  word  they  said.  The  stranger 
ordered  his  horse  very  early  the  next  morning  and  left.  He  gave  no  in- 
formation about  himself  except  in  a  general  way.  After  the  man  had 
gone  Mr.  Ney  went  to  his  room  and  remained  in  it  all  that  day,  reading 
and  writing.  He  never  made  any  allusion  to  the  matter,  and  we  had  too 
much  respect  for  him  to  question  him  about  it.  The  stranger  had  black 
hair,  black  eyes,  and  a  dark  complexion.  This  incident  happened,  I  think, 
in  1834  or  1835." 

Since  this  book  went  to  press  the  author  has  received  a  letter  from  a  for- 
eign gentleman  of  high  character  and  position,  in  which  he  says  :  "  I  am 
acquainted  with  the  history  of  Peter  S.  Ney  prior  to  his  escape  to  the 
United  States  of  America.  Many  years  ago,  when  I  was  a  young  man,  I 
visited  your  country  for  the  express  purpose  of  communicating  with  him. 
I  found  him  in  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  teaching  school.  He  was 
boarding  with  a  planter.  After  supper  we  retired  to  a  straw  stack,  where 
we  spent  the  night  in  talking  over  past  matters.  I  never  saw  him  after- 
ward. The  identity  of  Peter  S.  Ney  has  been  a  profound  secret.  He  was 
a  fugitive  from  justice,  and  many  persons  in  France  were  accessory  to  his 
escape.     If  Peter  S.  Ney  had  revealed  his  identity  in  America  his  friends 


306  APPENDIX  C. 

in  France  who  aided  in  his  escape  tvould  have  suffered  death.  Even  now, 
perhaps,  his  identity  cannot  fully  be  made  known.  ...  He  was  born 
January  10th,  1769." 

The  name  of  this  writer  cannot  be  given.     It  is  known  only  to  my  pub- 
lisher, Mr.  Thomas  Whittaker,  and  myself. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Adams,  Dr.  J.  R.  B.,  Testimony  of,  1G5. 
Allison,  Dr.  J.  A.,  Testimony  of,  181. 
Almeida  captured,  43. 

Alphabet,  Shorthand,  of  P.  S.  Key.  303,  304. 
Andrews,  James,  Testimony  of,  18(5. 
Arunca  River,  English  driven  to,  45. 
Auguie,  Mile.,  Ney  married  to,  21. 
Aurillac,  Ney  arrested  near,  91. 
Austin,  Mrs.  E.  D.,  Testimony  of,  221. 
Auxerre,  Meeting  of  Ney  and  Napoleon  at,  82,83 

B. 

Bancroft,  George,  Letter  from,  175. 
Barber,  Joseph,  Testimony  of,  186. 
Barber,  Rev.  K.  W.,  Testimony  of,  215. 
Barringer,  Hon.  V.  C,  Testimony  of,  180. 
Bautzen,  Battle  of,  74. 
Beale,  Mrs.  G.  N.,  Testimony  of,  199. 
Beresima,  Passage  of  the,  70. 
Bernadotte,  Army  of  Observation  of,  11. 

routs  Marshal  Oudinot,  76. 
Bertrand  serves  under  Ney,  77. 
Bingham,  Dr..  Testimony  of,  201. 
Borodino,  Battle  of,  54-57. 
Boulogne,  Marshal  Soult  at,  28. 
Bournonville's  letter  to  Minister  of  War,  9. 
Brevard,  Alexander  F . ,  Testimony  of,  200. 
Briqueville,  Ney  rescues,  64. 
Bunn,  Hon.  H.  G.,  Testimony  of,  164. 
Bosaco,  Maesfina  repulsed  at,  43-45. 
Butler,  John  A.,  Testimony  of,  195. 

C. 

Cain,  P.  H.,  Testimony  of,  180. 

Cambronne's  surrender,  99. 

Campbell,  Mrs.  S.  A.,  Testimony  of,  172. 

Cauchy  informs  Ney  of  his  sentence,  93,  94. 

Celorico,  Massena  and  Ney  quarrel  at,  49-51, 

Chamber  of  Peers,  Trial  of  Ney  by,  92,  93. 

Charles,  Archduke,  defeated,  18. 

Ciudad  Rodrigo  captured,  43. 

Claveau,  Statement  of,  120. 

Clement,  Mrs.,  Testimony  of.  139. 

Coa,  Battle  of,  43. 

Cole,  General,  at  Redinha,  46. 

Conciergerie,  Ney  imprisoned  in  the  91. 

Condeixa,  Ney  blamed  for  burning,  48. 

Corunna,  Ney  stations  himself  at,  43. 

Crawf urd,  General,  defeated  by  Ney,  43. 

D. 

Dalton,  Mrs.  M.  C,  Testimonv  of,  153. 
Dalton,  Dr.  Robert  H.,  Testimony  of,  170. 
Danikowa,  Ney"8  stratagem  at,  63. 
"  Danville  Times,"  Tcstfmony  of  Editor  of,  169. 
Davout,  General,  at  Borodino,  55. 
Deunewltz,  Ney  defeated  at,  75. 


Deppen,  Retreat  from,  38. 
D'Henin,  General,  at  the  Dnieper,  65,  66. 
Dierdorf,  Action  near,  10. 
Dnieper,  Ney  crosses  on  ice,  63,  64. 
Documentary  evidence  as  to  P.  S.  Ney's  iden- 
tity, 227-256. 
Dresden,  Napoleon  surprised  at,  75. 
Duke  of  Elchingen  (see  "  Ney"),  34. 
Dupiu's  effort  to  save  Ney,  92. 

Elchingen,  Ney's  brilliant  victory  at,  32,  33. 
Ems,  Ney's  stratagem  at,  20. 
England,  Plans  for  invading,  25,  26,  28-30. 
Ennis,  J.  H.,  Testimony  of,  181. 
Ervin,  Witherspoon,  Testimony  of,  162. 
Evidence,    Documentary,  as  to  P.  S.  Ney's 
identity,  237-2.56. 
summary  of,  279-297. 
Eylau,  Battle  of,  38. 

F. 

Fezensac's  march  to  the  Dnieper,  65-67. 

Fleurus,  Battle  of,  5. 

Foard,  Archie,  Testimony  of,  223. 

Foard,  Mrs.  O.  G.,  Testimony  of,  224. 

Folk,  Colonel  G.  N.,  Testimony  of,  200. 

Foote,  Major  J.  H.,  Testimony  of,  193. 

Forchheim,  Surrender  of,  7. 

Fraser's,  Sir  William,  account  of  Ney's  execu- 
tion, 118. 
doubts  of  Ney's  death,  120. 

Friedland,  Ney  at  the  battle  of,  39. 

Friedrichshafeu,  Mayor  of,  Letter  from,  290, 
892,  293. 

G. 

Gaither,  Burgess,  Testimony  of,  139, 

Gaither,  David,  Testimony  of,  192. 

Galicia  occupied  by  Ney,  42,  43. 

Gamot,  Madame,  visits  Ney  m  prison,  94. 

Gay,  Rev.  J.  L.,  Testimony  of,  177. 

Genealogy  of  Ney  family,  288-293,  (table)  291. 

Giessen,  Defeat  at,  10. 

Gillot's,  General,  letter  to  Ney,  17. 

Girard,  General,  defeated  at  Leibnitz,  76. 

Graham,  A.  H.,  Testimony  of,  205. 

Graham,  Colonel  C.  C,  Testimony  of,  180. 

Graham,  Thomas  D.,  Testimony  of,  222. 

Gross-Beeren.  Battle  at,  76. 

Guarda  Mountain,  Repulse  at,  51,  52. 

Guntzburg,  Battle  at,  31. 

H. 

Hall,  Hon.  J.  G.,  Testimony  of,  170. 

Hall,  Mrs  ,  Testimony  of,  1&4. 

Hall,  N.  F.,  Testimony  of,  208. 

Harlee,  General  W.  W.,  Testimony  of,  169. 


308 


INDEX. 


Haslach,  Battle  of,  31. 
Haye  Sainte,  La,  Capture  of,  88. 
Haynes,  William  M.,  Testimony  of,  183. 
Heidelberg,  Victory  of  Ney  at,  18. 
Heilbronn,  Engagement  at,  15. 
Helper,  H.  H.,  Testimony  of,  200. 
Henderson,  R.  A.,  Testimony  of,  220. 
Hill,  General  D.  H.,  Testimony  of,  208. 
Hill,  Mrs.  D.  H.,  Testimony  of,  209. 
History,  Notable  errors  in,  98-103. 
Hoche,  Key's  letter  to,  and  reply,  9-11. 
Hohenlinden,  Battle  of,  20. 
Hohenlohe,  Prince,  defeated  by  Ney,  18, 19. 
Houston,  Colonel  Thos.  F.,  Testimony  of,  147. 
Hughes,  Mrs.  S.  N.,  Testimony  of,  210. 
Hutchinson's,  Madame,  efforts  to  save  Ney, 
111,  112. 

I. 

Ineolstadt.  Victory  of  Ney  at,  19,  20. 
Ireland's,  W.  H.,  account,  121. 
Irwin,  H.  M.,  Testimony  of,  209. 

J. 

Jena,  Battle  of,  34,  35. 

Jetton,  John  L.,  Testimony  of,  198. 

John,  Archduke,  retreats  to  Vienna,  34. 

John    Charles',    Baron,    opinion   concerning 

Ney's  ancestry,  289. 
Jones,  M.D.,  Kev.  Basil  G.,  Testimony  of,  201. 
Jourdan  and  Kleber,  Quarrel  of,  6. 

writes  to  Ney,  8,  9. 
Junot,  General,  at  Valoutina,  54. 
Jurney,  Dr.  P.  C,  Testimony  of,  196. 

K. 

Katzbach,  Macdouald  defeated  at  the,  76. 

Kaya,  Attack  at,  74. 

Kleber  and  Jourdan,  Quarrel  of,  6. 
praises  Ney,  8. 

Klix,  Victory  at,  74. 

Knittel's,  Pastor,  testimony  concerning  Ney's 
ancestry,  289. 

KOnigsberg,  Ney's  foraging  near,  37. 

Koutousoff,  General,  demands  Ney's  surren- 
der, 60. 

Kowns,  Defence  of.  71-73. 

Krasnoi,  Battle  of,  60,  61. 

L. 

Lamarche,  General  Ney  iinder,  5. 
Landamman's,  The,  letter  to  Ney,  23,  24. 
Lavalette,  General,  Escape  of,  124. 
Lecourbe,  General,  assumes  command,  18. 
Lefol,  Adjutant-General,  at  Mauheim,  16. 
Legrand's,  General,  letter  to  Ney,  18. 
Leibnitz,  Defeat  at,  76. 
Leinster,  Frederick,  Testimony  of,  185. 
Leipsic,  Ney's  energy  at,  78,  79. 
Lestocq,  General,  at  Soldau,  .36. 

at  Eylau,  38. 
Leval's,  General,  letter  to  Ney,  17. 
Lichtenstein,  Prince,  defeated  by  Ney,  18. 
Lille,  Ney  sent  by  Napoleon  to,  83. 
Lingle,  Moses,  Testimony  of,  208. 
Loison,  General,  Ney's  command  given  to,  49. 
Louis  XVin.  insults  Wellington,  112, 113. 
Lugo,  Ney  ordered  to  fortify,  43. 
Luueville,  Treaty  of  peace  at,  20. 
Lutzen,  Battle  of,  73,  74. 
Luxemlaourg,  Ney's  execution  near  the,  116. 

M. 

Macdonald,  Marshal,  defeated,  76. 
Mack  surrenders  to  Ney  at  Ulm,  33,  34. 


Maestricht,  Ney  at  the  siege  of,  6. 
Magdeburg,  Surrender  of,  36. 
Manheim,  Capture  of,  11-13. 

Evacuation  of,  16. 
Massena,  Marshal,  Ney  compared  with,  1. 

writes  to  Ney,  15. 

quarrels  with  Ney,  49,  51, 

moral  weakness  of,  49. 
Matemite,  Hospital  of  the,  Ney's  body  taken 

to,  121. 
Mayence,  Ney  at  the  siege  of,  6. 
McBee,  Vardry  A.,  Testimony  of,  165. 
McCulloh,  James,  Testimouy  of,  174. 
McKnight,  Joseph,  Testimony  of,  186. 
Merlin's  Letter  to  Ney,  7. 
Miles,  Pliny,  takes  P.  S.  Ney's  papers,  148, 

159,  173,  176,  195,  225. 
Miller,  George  A.,  Testimony  of,  204. 
Montbrun,  General,  at  Coa,  43. 
Montreuil,  Ney  appointed  commander-in-chief 

of,  25. 
Moreau,  Ney  serves  under,  19. 

killed  at  Dresden,  75. 
Morrison,  D.D.,  Rev.  R.  H.,  Testimony  of, 

179. 
Moscow,  Retreat  from,  57. 
Moskva,  Battle  of  the,  54-57. 
Muller,  General,  recalled,  16. 
Mumford,  Giles  E.,  Testimony  of,  173. 
Murat,  Prince,  Ney's  quarrel  with,  31-33. 

at  Borodino,  55. 
Murcelha,  Ponte  de,  Ney  abandons,  48. 

N. 

Napier,  Major,  Ney's  kindness  to,  41 . 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Emperor  of  France,  28. 

Ney's  letter  from,  21 . 

at  Madrid,  39,  40. 

at  Borodino,  55,  56. 

esteem  for  Ney,  68,  69. 

surprised  at  Lutzen,  74. 

abdication  of,  79,  80. 

last  campaign  of,  83. 

untruthfulness  of,  299. 
Neu,  General,  at  Ingolstadt,  19. 
Ney,  Madame  (see  also  "  Auguie"). 

character,  80,  81. 

last  visit  to  Marshal  Ney,  94. 

death  of,  130. 
Ney,  Marshal,  Duke  of  Elchingen,  34. 

Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  54,  55. 

birthplace,  3. 

early  training,  3. 

leaves  home,  4. 

arrival  at  Metz,  4. 

duel  with  a  fencing-master,  4. 

aide-de-camp  to  General  Lamarche,  5. 

wounded  at  Mayence,  6. 

brigadier-general,  8. 

prisoner  at  Giessen,  10. 

horsemanship,  11. 

at  Manheim,  12. 

general  of  division,  13,  14. 

letter  to  war  minister,  13. 

war  minister's  letter  to,  14. 

transferred  to  Army  of  Switzerland,  14. 

wounded  at  Winterthur,  14,  15. 

ordered  to  Army  of  Rhine,  15. 

wounded  at  Mauheim,  16. 

commander-in-chief,  16. 

circular  upon  assuming  command,  16, 17. 

marriage  to  Mile.  Auguie,  21. 

minister-plenipotentiary,  22. 

writes  his  "  Military  Studies,"  27. 

marshal,  28. 

campaign  in  the  T3T0I,  34. 

bold  incursions  of,  37. 


INDEX. 


309 


2fey,  Quarrel  with  Massena,  49-51. 

at  battle  of  Borodino,  54-5(!. 

bravery  at  the  Borystheues,  57,  58. 

bravery  at  Kowno,  73. 

saves  Marshal  St.  Cyr,  75. 

letters  to  Napoleon  after  Dennewitz,  78. 

dislike  for  society,  80,  81. 

rejoins  Napoleon,  81. 

flight  after  Waterloo,  90. 

Turkish  sabre  of,  90,  91. 

arrest  at  Bessonis,  91. 

imprisonment  of,  91. 

letter  to  Wellinstton,  IDS. 

trial  of,  91-93,  300. 

conviction  of,  93. 

last  hours  of,  93-95. 

execution  of,  95-115. 

official  report  of  execution,  118. 

death  of,  97. 

burial  of,  in  Pere  la  Chaise,  122, 123. 

grave  of,  130. 

statue  of,  130. 

genealogy  of,  288-293. 

patriotism  of,  301. 
Key,  Peter,  .3. 
Ney,  Peter  Stuart,  97. 

account  of  himself,  133. 

age  of,  141,  205. 

appearance  (personal),  135,  136,  138,  139, 
140,  147,  149,  165,  166,  171,  172,  181,  184, 
191,  193,202,279. 

battle  of  Bautzen,  after,  381. 

burial-place  of,  160. 

burns  his  papers,  136,  138, 145, 148,  182. 

character  of,  146,  153,  280. 

choice  of  name,  286.  287. 

death  of,  168.  222,  223. 

drinking  habit  of,  139,  140,  149,  155,  161, 
169,  280. 

execution  described  by  him,  144,  150,  183, 

188,  219. 

fencing  skill,  137, 143,  151, 182, 194, 196, 208. 
foreigners  recognize  him,  136, 151, 159, 211, 

213. 
handwriting  of,  293,  294. 
horsemanship,  136,  161,  169,  181,  182,  206, 

207,  208. 
languages,  knowledge  of,  140, 141,  201,  202. 
Louis  XVIII.,  his  contempt  for,  142. 
mathematics,  knowledge  of,  140,  192. 
military  knowledge,  137,  193,  217. 
stranger,  visit  of  a,  to  him,  154,  182. 
Napoleon,  his  opinion  of,  141.  153,  171. 
sorrow  on  the  death  of,  145,  148,  173,  174, 

189,  202. 

Ney,  Marshal,  his   claim  to  be,  183,  144, 

149,  155,  224,  225. 
orator,  as  an,  138. 

Russian  expedition,   his  account  of,  141, 

150,  187. 

scars,  137,  147,  208,  222. 

scholarship  of,  140,  149,  285,  286. 

seclusion,  desire  for,  147,  194. 

shorthand  alphabet,  303,  304. 

shorthand  notes,  295. 

stenography,  knowledge  of,  148,  193,  195. 

suicide,  attempt  at,  136,  138,  162. 

teacher,  sternness  as  a,  146,  160,  167,  168, 
186. 

visit  of  stranger  to,  305,  306. 

Waterloo,  his  description  of,  142,  188,  190, 
200,  284. 

Wellington,  references  to,  142, 190. 

words,  last,  296. 

wounds,  1.37, 143,  161, 168,  188,  283. 
Niemen,  Crossing  of  the,  72. 
Nuremberg,  Key's  capture  of,  8. 


O. 

Oporto,  Soult's  defeat  at,  2. 
Oudinot,  Marshal,  routed,  76. 
serves  under  Ney,  77. 

P. 

Pack.  General,  at  Redinha,  46. 
Paris,  Surrender  of,  79. 
Capitulation  of,  90. 
Partisans,  The,  5 
Peers  condemn  Ney,  103. 
Pere  la  Chaise  Cemetery,  Ney  buried  in,  181, 

121.  122. 
Philipsburg  paroled,  13. 
Picton,  General,  at  Redinha,  46. 
Platoll's,  General,  attacks  on  Teolino,  67. 
Plotho's  account  of  retreat  from  Deppen,  38. 
Poellnitz,  Charles  A.,  Testimony  of,  138. 
Poetry  and  prose  by  P.  S.  Ney,  257-277. 
Pombal,  Combat  at,  45. 
Portugal,  Invasion  of,  43. 
Prince  de  la  Moskowa  (see  "Ney"),  54,  55. 


Quatre  Bras,  Engagement  at,  85-87. 

R. 

Ramsay,  Dr.  J.  G.,  Testimony  of,  217. 
Redinha,  Battle  of,  46,  48. 
Regnier,  General,  Conduct  of,  48. 

disobedience  of  Ney's  orders,  77. 
Reinhardt,  Wallace  M.,  Testimony  of,  100. 
Rhine,  Ney  ordered  to  Army  of  the,  15. 
Richelieu,  Duke  de,  pleads  for  Ney,  104,  105. 
Rockwell,  D.D.,  Rev.  E.  F.,  Testimony  of,  174 
Rogers,  Captain  F.  M.,  Testimony  of,  158. 
Rogers,  Colonel  .John  A.,  Testimony  of,  135. 
Rohan,  Prince  of,  34. 
Russia,  Expedition  to,  53. 

Retreat  from,  57. 
Russian  treachery,  60. 


S. 

Sanders,  J.  W.,  Testimony  of,  211. 
Schliter's.  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  testimony  concern- 
ing Ney's  ancestry,  289. 
Schwartzenburg,    General,    Ney's    stratagem 
with,  20. 

advances  upon  Dresden,  75. 
Shepherd,  Mrs.  George  F.,  Testimony  of,  223. 
Sloan,  Elizabeth  P.,  Testimony  of,  208. 
Smolensko,  Council  at,  54. 

Triple  danger  near,  58. 
Smorgoui,  Napoleon  returns  to  Paris  from,  71. 
Snyder,  Daniel,  Testimony  of,  212. 
Soldau,  Capture  of  the  village  of,  36. 
Soria,  Napoleon  blames  Ney  at,  40. 
Soult,  Marshal,  compared  with  Ney,  1. 

jealous  of  Ney,  42. 
Spain,  Ney  ordered  to,  .39. 
Spainhour,  Dr.  James  M.,  Testimony  of,  218. 
Spencer,  General,  at  Redinha,  46. 
St.  Cyr,  Marshal,  at  Dresden,  75. 
St.  Louis  "  Republic,"  Testimony  of,  221. 
Steele,  John  M.,  Testimony  of,  224. 
Stettin,  Ney  defeats  Austriaiis  at,  19. 
Stevenson,  William  S.,  Testimony  of,  213. 
Stirewalt,  Valentine,  Testimony  of,  219. 
Swain,  lion.  David  L.,  Testimony  of,  173. 
Sweden,  Crown  Prince  of,  defeats  Ney,  75. 
Switzerland,  Army  of,  Ney  transferred  to,  14. 


310 


INDEX. 


T. 

Teolino,  Defence  of,  67,  68. 

Testimony  concerning  Peter  S.  Ney,  135-225. 

Thorn,  Capture  of,  36. 

Trott,  W.  H.,  Testimony  of,  184. 

Turkish  sabre,  Ney's,  90,  91. 

Turner,  Wilfred,  Testimony  of,  185. 

Tyrol,  Ney's  campaign  in  the,  34. 

U. 

Ulm,  Surrender  of  Mack  at,  33,  34. 
United  States,  Ney  in  the,  132. 

V. 

Valontina,  Conflict  at,  54. 
Yandamme's  loss  near  Kulm,  76. 
Vandermassen,  General,  at  Manheim,  16. 
Viazma  and  Smolensko,  Fighting  between,  57 


Vienna,  Retreat  of  Austrians  to,  34. 
Vistula,  Passage  of  the,  36. 

TT. 

Wachendorf,  Ney  family  in,  289,  290. 
Waterloo,  Battle  of,  87-90. 
Wellington,  Duke  of,  at  Redinha,  47. 

attacked  at  Quatre  Bras,  87. 

at  Waterloo,  87. 

insulted  by  Louis  XVIII.,  113. 

Ney's  letter  to,  108. 

power  of,  114. 
Wheeler,  Colonel  J.  B.,  Testimony  of,  158- 
Winterthur,  Nej;  wounded  at,  14,  15. 
Wislok,  Ney's  victory  at,  19. 
Wood,  Dr.  Daniel  B.,  Testimony  of,  217. 
Wood,  Thomas  S.,  Testimony  of,  167. 
Wood,  D.D.,  Rev.  William  A.,  Testimony  of, 

196. 
Worth,  Mrs.  B.  G.,  Testimony  of,  172. 
Wurtzburg  and  Forchheim,  Ney  at,  7. 


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